The party's manifesto states that anyone convicted of a knife crimeshould expect to face a prison sentence in order to send a "serious,unambiguous message that carrying a knife is totally unacceptable".
Chris Stanley, a member of the youth courts' committee at theMagistrates Association, said such a move is unlikely to get the backingof magistrates.
"Judges and magistrates are generally not in favour of mandatorysentences and I think that proposal will be fought quite strongly," hesaid.
"They would want some discretion because there are always going to besome cases that aren't as serious as others."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
