The Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett believes that those in charge of passing sentences should take into account that the impact of a custodial stint may now be greater on an offender due to the pandemic. Lord Burnett stressed that prisoners and their families are likely to be anxious about contracting the virus, because they spend the majority of the day in their cells and are unable to receive visits. The warning comes after the Ministry of Justice said that 345 prisoners tested positive for coronavirus in 73 jails. Judges and magistrates must consider how the coronavirus crisis is affecting conditions in prisons when deciding whether to jail offenders, Lord Burnett has saidIt was also revealed that 18 inmates and six staff have died from coronavirus across the nation. Cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in more than half of prisons in England and Wales, with staff also running short on personal protective equipment.

Source: Daily Mail May 01, 2020 16:46 UTC