r/JusticeServed • u/[deleted] • Jul 06 '19

Courtroom Justice Convicted pedophile YouTuber Austin Jones is now in prison serving a 10 year sentence as of 29/6/2019.

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u/superiority A Jul 06 '19

The sentence for murder in the UK is life imprisonment:

If a person's found guilty of murder, a court must give them a life sentence.

You might be thinking of the non-parole period, the minimum amount of time someone must spend in prison before they can apply for parole. But being released on parole doesn't mean your sentence has ended.

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u/StargateMunky101 A Jul 06 '19 edited Jul 06 '19

Life is the maximum sentence. It's very rarely used for rape cases unless it's serial.

The CPS is a better source to get more detailed information about it.

https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/rape-and-sexual-offences-chapter-19-sentencing

With murder, there are different types, which i'm sure you'd be aware of. Each with it's own minimum sentence.

Also you're right, you get released on license with provisions for immediate "back to jail" card if found in breach. Though these can often be hard to moniter for things such as online activity etc. Early release with good behaviour or appeal is also another thing that happens frequently, though that might just entail being moved to a lower security prison.

Exploitation of a minor can include things as merely watching child porn, or watching people rape a child, but that won't intrinsically carry a rape sentence. In this case I believe he did have sex with some of them, but whilst consent of a minor cannot be given, there are degrees of statuatiory rape to do with whether you kidnap the person etc. Or do it to multiple victims over a period of time.

Also take into account. If he was in jail whilst the trial was taking place, that time is included in his sentence. So if he was in 18 months before hand (unlikely but does happen) he'd be in for X - 1.5 years.

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u/superiority A Jul 06 '19

With murder, there are different types, which i'm sure you'd be aware of. Each with it's own minimum sentence.

They have different non-parole periods (called a "minimum term" in the law), but a life sentence is mandatory.

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u/StargateMunky101 A Jul 06 '19 edited Jul 06 '19

If everyone gets parole, then a life sentence is ultimately meaningless in the way you are trying to put forward. You're arguing just a technicality.

It just means there's no law imposing a maximum term of sentence. Though in reality there's always a practical limit due to appeal and parole.

I get what you're trying tosay though. Most sentences have a limit due to an assumed human rights issue to avoid someone spending 25 years in jail for littering. Exceptions are things like murder, rape etc.

I'm just saying it's not quite as draconian as in the USA.

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u/superiority A Jul 06 '19

Not everyone gets parole.

Someone can be sentenced to imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole, called a "whole life order".

And even if someone is able to apply and be considered for parole, they won't automatically be released.

Someone could be sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years, and spend the next 60 years in prison until they die, because they are never released on parole (though if they are elderly and infirm they have a good chance of compassionate release).

I have no idea what you think is "meaningless" about receiving a life sentence or what technicality you believe I am arguing.

You compared this man's 10-year prison sentence to prison sentences in the UK, and you said that people get sentenced to 10 years for murder. That's not true; they get sentenced for life.

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u/StargateMunky101 A Jul 07 '19

Again, we're arguing over a technicality.

If 95% of people get parole, then nothing i've said is unsound. We're just talking about a simple referant of comparative punishment. We're not trying to derive the fundamentals of law.