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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

I also support the amendment. Part 2, which deals with sentencing and the things to which the court must have regard, includes the punishment of offenders. The amendment would not interfere with that. In no way would it diminish the protection of the public or the reform and rehabilitation of offenders, which is exactly the point that the amendment is making. Of course, the community must be protected. Of course, we must be certain that the press, which is powerful and militant in seeing children as wicked, rather than having needs as well as being offenders, will dislike anything that is not seen to be robust. But it is not lacking in robustness for the court to be reminded, as it should be, of the age and mental capacity of the offender. It will in no way reduce the protection of the public.