Cherie Blair has highlighted ‘absurd’ figures exhibiting that one third of all feminine legal convictions within the UK are for not paying the TV licence charge.
The human rights lawyer additionally claimed fewer ladies ought to be jailed usually as a result of it causes ‘irreparable’ hurt with a disproportionate impact on households.
Ministry of Justice information from 2012 till 2016 confirmed between 29 and 31 per cent of all convictions for ladies every year inside that interval had been for licence charge evasion.
Nevertheless, this fell steadily over the next years to 25 per cent by 2019, then slipped additional to 18 per cent in 2020 and now stands at 10 per cent for 2023.
Mrs Blair advised the Instances Crime and Justice Fee: ‘Whenever you assume {that a} third of all feminine convictions are for not paying their TV licence … it is absurd.
‘The price of these ladies’s locations in jail, the influence on their kids, the truth that they will in all probability lose their lodging. I imply what’s the sense in that?
Cherie Blair is pictured at Windsor Fort on Could 17 for the annual Order of the Garter Service
‘There may be completely no sense in it in anyway… I believe, actually, the answer is to not ship so many ladies to jail. And it is actually so simple as that.’
Somebody discovered responsible of licence charge evasion in a magistrates’ court docket in England and Wales will face a most effective of as much as £1,000, prosecution prices of £120 and a sufferer surcharge of 40 per cent of the effective.
Whereas practically 1,000 individuals every week are prosecuted for licence charge evasion, nobody may be despatched to jail for the offence – though they could possibly be jailed for failing to pay the ensuing effective.
The final yr through which MoJ information confirmed licence charge evasion accounted for practically a 3rd of girls’s convictions was 2015, when it stood at 31 per cent.
In that yr, there have been 117,670 convictions for licence charge evasion for ladies out of a complete 378,873 convictions for ladies throughout all offences.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEN – TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 52,377 | 46,042 | 47,985 | 48,288 | 42,987 | 35,744 |
| MEN – ALL CONVICTIONS | 1,289,742 | 1,266,501 | 1,241,736 | 1,257,090 | 1,260,283 | 1,208,980 |
| % OF MEN v WOMEN FOR TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 32% | 30% | 29% | 29% | 28% | 28% |
| % OF MEN TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS v ALL MEN CONVICTIONS | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| WOMEN – TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 112,253 | 106,959 | 114,360 | 117,670 | 109,093 | 93,009 |
| WOMEN – ALL CONVICTIONS | 362,342 | 352,847 | 372,603 | 378,873 | 372,339 | 350,923 |
| % OF WOMEN v MEN FOR TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 68% | 70% | 70% | 71% | 71% | 72% |
| % OF WOMEN LICENCE CONVICTIONS v ALL WOMEN CONVICTIONS | 31% | 30% | 31% | 31% | 29% | 27% |
| MEN & WOMEN – TOTAL TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 164,966 | 153,427 | 162,917 | 166,748 | 152,806 | 129,309 |
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEN – TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 32,440 | 29,133 | 12,349 | 11,126 | 10,283 | 7,920 |
| MEN – ALL CONVICTIONS | 1,164,316 | 1,133,636 | 872,545 | 990,594 | 985,383 | 986,372 |
| % OF MEN v WOMEN FOR TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 27% | 25% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 26% |
| % OF MEN TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS v ALL MEN CONVICTIONS | 3% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| WOMEN – TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 88,108 | 84,922 | 38,771 | 34,169 | 30,195 | 22,817 |
| WOMEN – ALL CONVICTIONS | 343,076 | 340,648 | 217,366 | 218,792 | 232,896 | 234,615 |
| % OF WOMEN v MEN FOR TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 73% | 74% | 76% | 75% | 74% | 74% |
| % OF WOMEN LICENCE CONVICTIONS v ALL WOMEN CONVICTIONS | 26% | 25% | 18% | 16% | 13% | 10% |
| MEN & WOMEN – TOTAL TV LICENCE CONVICTIONS | 121,238 | 114,707 | 51,222 | 45,399 | 40,659 | 30,910 |
There was a complete of 166,748 convictions for licence charge evasion throughout each sexes. This meant ladies made up 71 per cent of the convictions.
2023, there have been 22,817 convictions for licence charge evasion, which was 10 per cent of the whole 234,615 convictions for ladies throughout all offences.
However the excessive proportion of girls being convicted for the offence in comparison with males stays – with 74 per cent ladies for the newest yr.
The figures have additionally beforehand been mentioned by former prime minister Liz Truss, who spoke concerning the topic in the course of the Conservative celebration management contest in 2022.
She stated on the time: ‘What I am very involved about on the TV licence charge is what number of ladies have ended up in jail for non-payment, a disproportionate quantity.’
Nevertheless, it was later identified that nobody may be imprisoned for failing to pay the licence.
Somebody discovered responsible of licence charge evasion in a magistrates’ court docket will face a most effective of as much as £1,000, prosecution prices of £120 and a sufferer surcharge of 40 per cent of the effective
Mrs Blair, the spouse of former prime minister Tony Blair, additionally stated there ought to be a ban on pregnant ladies being despatched to jail.
She added that there was ‘no sadder place than in a ladies’s jail’ and 95 per cent of jailed ladies’s kids can be taken into care.
In Could final yr, the BBC introduced elevated assist for individuals in ‘actual monetary problem’ to pay for the TV licence charge.
This was a assist plan introduced as a part of makes an attempt to scale back the variety of ladies who’re prosecuted for licence charge evasion following the BBC’s gender disparity evaluation which was set as much as perceive why so lots of these prosecuted are ladies.
The evaluation, which was overseen by unbiased adviser Baroness Lola Younger, discovered the disparity is basically brought on by societal components and there’s no proof that TV Licensing intentionally discriminates in opposition to any group.
The BBC Broadcasting Home in London is pictured. The BBC is required to situation TV licences and acquire the charge below the Communications Act 2003
The societal components cited within the report had been the better monetary hardship confronted by ladies; ladies being extra more likely to be at residence and organising home payments; and ladies making up greater than 60 per cent of single-adult households.
It comes amid ongoing calls to decriminalise non-payment of the licence charge, which elevated by £10.50 a yr to £169.50 from April.
In 2021, the Authorities determined to not go forward with decriminalisation proposals, however stated this might ‘stay below lively consideration’.
The BBC is required to situation TV licences and acquire the charge below the Communications Act 2003. MailOnline has contacted the broadcaster for remark.
