Ban young offenders from having a driving licence?
David Cameron has called for young offenders to be barred from driving as part of a programme to tackle crime
"Common sense suggests that with young people you need to hit them where it hurts: in their lifestyle and their aspirations," said the Tory leader.
He urged the wider use of powers enabling judges to disqualify offenders from holding or obtaining a licence.
He said he wanted a "three-dimensional" approach to youth crime, focusing on families, policing and the courts. (BBC)
That may work in a superficial way, but won't in the long term. Preventing them from legally driving won't stop them getting behind the wheel of a car, they will just do so with no insurance or training. In Cameron's speech, he said:"Common sense suggests that with young people you need to hit them where it hurts: in their lifestyle and their aspirations," said the Tory leader.
He urged the wider use of powers enabling judges to disqualify offenders from holding or obtaining a licence.
He said he wanted a "three-dimensional" approach to youth crime, focusing on families, policing and the courts. (BBC)
I'd like to see judges and magistrates tell a 15-year-old boy convicted of buying alcohol or causing a disturbance that the next time he appears in court he'll have his driving licence delayed.
And then I'd like that boy to tell his friends what the judge said.
Stopping him driving for buying alcohol? That's excessively harsh. Certainly this idea is a bad one. Not being legally able to drive will not stop anyone who is actually a "young offender" from doing so.And then I'd like that boy to tell his friends what the judge said.
However, the rest of the speech contained good ideas, such as:
- Enact powers allowing magistrates to sentence people to up to one year in jail, up from the existing six months.
- Scrap the early release scheme introduced by ministers to ease pressure on prison places.
- Free police from form-filling to allow them to spend more time on patrol.
Sources: BBC, The Telegraph, The Guardian
