Lee Anderson, the recently-appointed Tory party deputy chairman, has sparked a political row with his comments on capital punishment. ‘Nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed. 100 per cent success rate,’ he said in an interview with The Spectator. Rishi Sunak says he disagrees, and is not in favour of the death penalty. But what do most people think?
Voters’ views on some issues, like Brexit, range widely and change over time. But attitudes towards crime, and what to do with criminals, appear to be far deeper-rooted. You can never be too tough on crime, is the verdict of many voters.
Last week, J.L. Partners asked British adults which punishment – from a fine to a prison sentence of more than 15 years – would be most suitable for 24 different crimes. On the graph below every punishment that involves jail time is a shade of red. Amber is community service, while green is a fine. Dark green indicates no punishment at all.
The result, as you can see, is a sea of red.
For all but five crimes listed, more than half of the public want to see people do jail time. Just over half of us want to see people behind bars for bike theft. More than seven in ten of us want to see prison for those who possess a knife. And, for 56 per cent, racist or sexist abuse in person should result in a prison sentence.
We are most lenient on those not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car, with six in ten saying it should only warrant a fine. We can dismiss as statistical noise, the Prime Minister will be pleased to hear, the 1 per cent of Brits who say it should be met with life behind bars.
Just as alien to voters are politicians – Labour and Tory alike – who want to reduce jail sentences
It is not that people have not thought through the question. Significant proportions say many crimes – for example, upskirting or shoplifting – should only carry brief prison sentences. The message? That they feel prison works as a short sharp deterrent and that fines and community service do not.
Some crimes carry longer sentences. One out of five of every person you pass on the street wants arson to carry more than fifteen years’ jail time. Burglary of a home? 96 per cent say it should carry prison time. Domestic violence is the same. Murder and the rape of a child is where we are near-unanimous that the offender should serve no less than fifteen years.
It was reported this week that the Online Safety Bill may result in the criminalisation of online sexist abuse. The fact it may become an offence might be controversial to MPs, but will not be met by much criticism from the public. For nineteen of every twenty of us, it should warrant a form of punishment – and for more than half of us it should mean jail time.
What is behind all this is the strong sense of fair-mindedness that pervades the British psyche. When I have asked voters why they hold such strong views the answer is common-sensical. 'Don’t do wrong.' 'Play by the rules'. On issues like online abuse, the response is simply: 'Why would you do that?' Those firing opprobrium through their keyboards are a strange, delinquent minority amongst the public whose behaviour is alien to them and should not be tolerated.
Just as alien to them are politicians – Labour and Tory alike – who want to reduce jail sentences. During my time in government, politicians would ask me how they could sell the message of rehabilitative justice. Of course I would go away and try and find out, but the answer I often came back with to crestfallen faces was: there isn’t.
Surely these politicians can count on the younger generation. The under-45s who overwhelmingly now say they will opt for Labour, the Liberal Democrats, or the Greens – surely they hold the enlightened views they seek on crime and punishment?
Compare over- and under-45s and the results are practically identical. The same goes for Conservative and Labour voters.
I do not pretend to know what the right solution to crime rates is. One of my closest friends in politics is an ardent ‘prison works’ voice; another a great believer in reform. Both tell me their way is how to reduce crime.
But regardless of what works, we will not be seeing rehabilitative reform at the forefront of any election manifestos. The market is for longer sentences and for tough positions on crime, and politicians follow where the market goes.
Being tough on crime is no political opinion. For the British people, it is an instinct.
Comments