More than half of people convicted of crimes in Murcia do not go to prison
Of the more than 30,000 sentences given in 2023, only 4,510 were for prison time
Many people who are sentenced for crimes in the region of Murcia escape prison time, according to records provided by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). A total of 9,410 people were convicted by the courts and tribunals of crimes in 2023, and yet only 4,510 were sentenced to prison time.
Of the 9,410 people convicted 1,312 were women and a staggering 8,098 were men. The overall conviction number however represents a decrease of 15.5% compared to 2022, when 11,142 people were convicted in the Community.
Many of the defendants that were found to be guilty were sentenced to pay fines. In total, 6,557 were fines, while there were also 197 special disqualifications for employment, 2,278 driving licence withdrawals and 2,366 prohibitions on gun possession.
As for restraining orders , 3,521 were issued in the Region last year. Twenty-eight offenders were expelled from Spain, and 3,534 residents did community service.
Furthermore, as with every year, there were more crimes than convictions in the region. This is because many people are convicted of several offences. In 2023 there were 13,236 crimes and 30,682 sentences imposed. Of the 9,410 convicted, 338 committed four or more offences; 471, three; 1,592 committed two offences, and 7,009 only one.
Moreover, the most notable convictions last year were for threats (1,075), fraud (257) and embezzlement (350). There were also 20 convictions for simulating crimes and making false accusations.
However, where the figures get particularly interesting is of those that were sentenced to prison, but ended up not going to a penitentiary. This happens frequently with sexual crimes: if the aggressor admits his guilt and gives money as compensation to his victim he can avoid prison time.
If the process has taken a long time to reach trial with undue delays, there are usually agreements of compliance that the offender, though sentenced, does not need to go to prison on the condition that he does not reoffend within a period of time established in the sentence. Juan Castejón, for example, was the former vice president of the employers’ association and was convicted of child prostitution this year in Murcia, but he will not be going to jail.
Rocío Arregui, a lawyer, explains that by not sentencing a criminal to prison terms, “we are trying to avoid contagion from prison, the stigma of having been in prison, and we are trying to encourage not only reintegration, but for the person to continue with his or her life.”
Alberto Pintado, criminologist, also states that, “Article 1 of the General Penitentiary Organic Law specifies that the primary purpose of the penitentiary system is to reeducate and reintegrate those people who have committed a crime, a situation that is also reflected in Article 25.2 of the Constitution.”
Some however have argued that certain crimes, regardless of whether it is a person’s first time, should be punishable by prison. Sexual crimes, for example, as stated above, do not lead to prison sentences very often, despite the fact many people believe that they should.
Many critics simply believe that judges are trying to save people, despite the crimes they have committed, from going into prison because routines are not great and fights between inmates, assaults on officers and drug dealing happen all the time. They therefore keep try to keep convicts on the streets and hope for the best, despite the fact they can be serious criminals.
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