the worst murderers should be given a chance to escape staying in prison for life by pleading guilty, according to new rules drawn up for judges the worst murderers should be given a chance to escape staying in prison for life by pleading guilty, according to new rules drawn up for judges. the say a judge should take a killer's confession to the court into account when deciding whether they should be kept behind bars for good with a whole-life term. the proposal by the sentencing council, the body led by judges which instructs judges and magistrates on the punishments they should hand down, allows the possibility of eventual freedom to even the most evil murderers if they admit their guilt at the earliest opportunity. critics warned yesterday that if the new sentencing rule goes into effect it could act as encouragement to murderers. criminologist dr david green of the civitas think tank, a former home office adviser on crime statistics, said: 'if someone knows they could get a lighter sentence if they own up, that could make them more inclined to kill.' the new murder sentencing rule is contained in a consultation document published by the council, which lays down guidelines for judges and magistrates which they must follow unless they believe it would be unjust to do so. the paper suggests new guidance for the courts on what leniency should be shown to criminals who plead guilty. murder sentences have been regarded as different from those imposed for all other crimes ever since the abolition of the death penalty in 1965. those convicted of murder are always given a life sentence, but the judge also sets a real term of years that the killer will be made to serve in prison before release. the sentencing council said last year that 56 murderers were serving whole-life terms, which mean that they will never leave prison. these include levi bellfield, killer of milly dowler and two other women; alongside other serial murderers peter sutcliffe, ian brady, dennis nilson and rosemary west. the new proposal, which will now go through a three-month consultation process before the council decides whether to put it into effect, says that 'a court should consider the fact that an offender has pleaded guilty to murder when deciding whether it is appropriate to order a whole life term.' the paper said this is one of 'some differences' from the existing murder sentencing rules, set down by the council's predecessor body, the sentencing guidelines council, in 2007. different guidance on whole life terms for murderers, it said, is included to reflect a 2005 court of appeal decision on murder sentencing. under the new proposal, the paper said, 'the draft guideline explicitly states that the fact that an offender has pleaded guilty may be taken into account in deciding whether it is appropriate to order a whole life term.' it added that 'murder is the most serious criminal offence and the sentence prescribed is different from all other sentences.' the 2005 appeal court judgement on murder sentencing and guilty pleas, handed down by then lord chief justice lord phillips and two other judges, considered sentences in two murder cases. the appeal judges said: 'the court should consider the fact that the defendant has pleaded guilty to murder when deciding whether it is appropriate to order a whole life term.' however this decision was not included in the sentencing rules for murder handed down to judges in 2007. a spokesman for the sentencing council said: 'the practice in the courts will be unchanged. judges have to follow the decisions set down by the court of appeal.' the sentencing council said last year that 56 murderers were serving whole-life terms, which mean that they will never leave prison. these include levi bellfield pictured, killer of milly dowler and two other women; alongside other serial murderers peter sutcliffe, ian brady, dennis nilson and rosemary west the council also said that general criminals who do not plead guilty at the first opportunity should get a lesser cut in their sentence. the bonus for an early guilty plea should remain a third off the sentence, it said, but those who plead guilty later in the court process should get only a fifth off their sentence rather than a quarter. the sentencing council chairman, appeal judge lord justice treacy, said: 'we want those who have committed crimes to admit their guilt as early as possible. when they do, it means victims and witnesses can be reassured that the offender has accepted responsibility for what they have done and that they are spared having to appear at court to testify. 'it also means that the police and crown prosecution service can use their resources more efficiently to investigate and prosecute other cases.' but dr green said: 'if a judge is considering a whole life sentence it must be a case of truly evil murder. the sole consideration should be how strong a message of disapproval society wants to send. it should be sending the strongest possible message.
tapping private resources for public university good: guest opinion