thirdcrank wrote:In brief:
A system of detention for public protection was introduced whereby in addition to any punitive element of the sentence, a defendant could be detained virtually indefinitely. (for details of the sentencing régime itself see my link.)
Warboys was dealt with and convicted on several charges, sufficient at that time in the well-known phrase or saying for the key to be thrown away.
He was suspected of a lot of other similar offences for which at that time there was no public interest in bringing more charges. eg It's worth remembering in this context that a lot of victims of rape don't relish giving evidence and that's all additional to the cost of having a series of jury trials.
It was decided that this type of sentence should be abolished, so the outstanding question was what to do with those inside and subject to it. One example that comes to mind is IIRC, somebody sentenced for something relatively minor who was still in prison after ten years and counting.
I get the impression that it was decided that the general thrust would be to let them all go ASAP. To coin a phrase, the lost key had been found. Remember also that no matter how evil we "know" anybody to be, they have individual rights, one of which is to have their case looked at individually.
Firstly I'm not in favour of a lock 'em up and lose the key system of justice.That said there are some people who aren't fit to live at large in society.
My understanding of the Warboys case is that there has been a failure of both police investigation ie; believing they had enough to keep him locked up,which was based on monatory pressures on the police force ,and a failure of the prison/parole system in that they were hoodwinked into thinking this man was a reformed character because of the failure of the police to peruse all claims ĺeveled against him.
As a result he very nearly was freed on licence,and indeed may still be.
Getting back to the OP,leaving aside his accomplice and passenger,who IMO FWIW as I stated up thread,is as bad as the driver.
The driver already had a long as your arm,30 offences conviction rate and so had proved his inability to be at large safely in the community,he then kills two small children and as a result,their father unable to cope with the loss kills himself.
For that crime the driver is handed down a 9year sentence,which with good behaviour he could be out on licence in 4 years time.
This is a multiply convicted criminal,drug addict by all accounts,who cares nought for the society he lives in,IMO that society should,for it's own sake reject his liberty for a much longer period than 9 years.
It should also be putting money and resources into rehabilitation of offenders rather than locking them up in rat infested prisons more a kin to medieval dungeons,where drugs are freely available and offenders come out worse than when they went in.
I suspect we sing from the same hymn sheet on this.