I think that there's a widespread misconception in the country about prison sentences, which makes it look like we've gone soft on crime. Typically, though with plenty of exceptions, a sentence will be spent half in prison and half on licence after release. Sentencing judges clearly have to take this into account so that, as they see it, the perpetrator will spend an appropriate time "behind bars."

In my view the current case represents a tragic mistake. In the vast majority of cases like this one the "early" release works just fine. We have to ask whether cutbacks in the services that assess, supervise and rehabilitate convicted criminals contribute to the mistakes. Considering that the Tories have been in charge for almost a decade, it is vexatious in the extreme for Johnson to try to blame the last Labour government for the terrorist incident. A shocking misjudgement.