More jail for violent criminals who reoffend while on bail or parole under radical Victorian Coalition plan

VICTORIA’S opposition leader has promised to build a new state prison or expand lockups if prisoner numbers spike under a Coalition crackdown on violent crime.

VIOLENT criminals who offend while on parole or bail will be forced to serve time for every one of their crimes under a Coalition crackdown.

Serious offenders who commit crimes when bailed or paroled would not be able to receive concurrent sentences for the additional offences under the radical new proposal.

The sentencing overhaul would apply to 11 crimes, including rape and ­aggravated burglary.

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The reform is the latest in a series of law and order policies being rolled out by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, who is promising to bring in the toughest sentencing regime in Victoria’s history if elected in November.

“This sends a clear message: if you offend while on bail or parole, you will serve time for each individual offence, one after the other,’’ Mr Guy said.

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VICTORIAN OPPOSITION LEADER MATTHEW GUY PROMISES STATE’S TOUGHEST EVER SENTENCES

Akon Guode received 22 years for the murder of two children. Picture: AAP

Adrian Bayley was convicted of two rapes committed in the lead-up to Jill Meagher’s murder.

The Coalition is also looking into expanding the concurrent sentencing ban to target those who commit multiple murders, rapes and aggravated assaults, regardless of whether they are on bail or parole.

That would mean someone who raped five times would receive jail time for each offence.

Mr Guy said: “If you do the crime, you have to do the time and not a discounted sentence.”

Under a ban on concurrent sentences for serial crims, many high-profile offenders would have seen their jail sentences dramatically increased.

The opposition leader also promised to build a new prison or expand lockups if prisoner numbers spiked under a Coalition crackdown on violent crime.

The opposition estimated the proposed crackdown would impact as many as 200 offenders.

Mr Guy said Victoria’s worst offenders needed to be kept behind bars “whatever the cost”.

“If we need to build more prison beds to keep the worst of the worst offenders behind bars, a government I lead will do that,” he said.

Mr Guy would not detail how much the plan would cost, although he said it would be revealed before November’s election.

He said the proposed sentencing reform would deter offenders, although he could not provide any evidence that it would do so.

Some research has cast doubt on whether tough sentencing works effectively as a deterrent.

“I don’t need to go to the United States or Great Britain or even NSW,” Mr Guy said.

“When I hear evidence from the victims of crime reference group that I have established, that is evidence enough from here in Victoria to say that we are not going to let the worst of the worst offenders get a discount or soft touch on bail or parole.

He added: “I don’t need an academic to tell me what I should or should not being doing on a corrections policy”.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy speaks to the media. Picture: AAP Image/Luis Enrique Ascui

Adrian Bayley was convicted of two rapes committed in the lead-up to Jill Meagher’s murder. He was sentenced to 12 years and nine months for each, but has been allowed to serve both concurrently on top of his 35-year sentence for the murder.

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Akon Guode received 22 years for the murder of two children, a year for the infanticide of her infant and six years for the ­attempted murder of her fourth child. However, they were combined for a total of 26 years with a non-parole period of 20 years.

Russell St bomber Craig Minogue.

Russell St bomber Craig Minogue was serving a 28-year minimum when he fractured another prisoner’s skull in 1988, killing him. Minogue was given a concurrent term.

The crackdowns would be introduced through amendments to the Sentencing Act 1991, which applies to all courts except the Children’s Court. If someone under the age of 18 is sentenced in a higher court, it will be enforced.

At present when a criminal is given a concurrent sentence it means the punishment, such as a jail term, is absorbed into another sentence they have already been given.

It means that in effect they can serve one jail term for multiple offences.

Under reforms, the practice would only be able to be used in extreme circumstances.

The clampdown on offenders on bail is expected to critically impact on out-of-control youths who are processed in adult courts, who go on violent crime sprees while released over a previous charge.

Anyone on bail reoffending will have sentences added on top for each new crime.

Those on parole for any ­violent breaches will serve the sentence for their new offence on top of the term of their original punishment.

The Coalition believes there is significant community angst about current sentencing practices and these changes could prove critical in convincing Victorians the Coalition is the state’s tough-on-crime party.

Costings have not been released, but an influx of prisoners is expected, possibly prompting the need for a new jail. However, it is hoped the risk of longer sentences will act as a deterrent.

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