Longer sentences for child sex offenders, sex offenders and rapists

Sexual assault can have a devastating impact on children as they grow up and victims in general. This crime can change a persons life forever. I think the prison sentences and punishments for crimes like these as too soft and more needs to be done in terms of deterring this sort of crime.

We need to set an example. Child trafficking and child abuse goes on more than we think and we need to do more. The prison sentences abusers get is nothing compared to the lifelong trauma they inflict on their victims. I would like more funding to go to charities that help the victims of sexual abuse however I don’t think it’s enough. We need to set a standard. We need to protect our children and ourselves. The people in charge need speak for the millions of people who feel this way.

Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for our independent courts based on the circumstances of the offence and the offender. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 has a clear, comprehensive framework of offences to deal with the scourge of sexual abuse and exploitation, and rightly carries robust sentences to deal with serious offending.

The 2003 Act was designed to meet the 21st Century challenges of protecting children, and addresses issues including internet pornography, sexual activity with vulnerable adults, and grooming children for sexual abuse. It provides robust penalties to reflect the seriousness of this offending and the harm it causes to victims, including up to life imprisonment for some offences.

In April the government ended the automatic release at the half-way point in their custodial term for serious offenders sentenced to 7 or more years for certain crimes, such as rape, where the maximum penalty is life. Instead they will be made to spend two-thirds of their sentence in prison, before being subject to strict licence conditions upon release. We propose to go further, with measures announced in the Sentencing White Paper, to extend this approach to certain serious offenders sentenced to 4 years or more – as well as other reforms to ensure serious sexual offenders spend longer in prison.

The government is committed to stamping out all forms of sexual abuse and continuing to be a global leader in tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). In recent years we have made a significant investment in tackling all forms of CSEA and the step change in our response is already drawing this hidden crime out of the shadows. Last year, the government announced an additional £30 million to safeguard children from CSEA.