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<p>Knife crime can have devastating consequences and the government is determined
to take action to address serious violence. Sentencing is a matter for our independent
judiciary but anyone who continues to carry a knife in public can expect to face a
custodial sentence.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, Parliament agreed a minimum custodial sentence
for a second or subsequent conviction for possession of a bladed article or offensive
weapon. For adults, this is a minimum sentence of 6 months’ imprisonment whilst for
16 and 17 year olds the Act created a minimum custodial sentence of a 4 month Detention
and Training Order (DTO). Since the introduction of the minimum custodial term people
caught carrying a knife for a second time are now more likely than ever before to
go to prison – recent statistics show that 83% of offenders received a custodial sentence
for repeat possession offences in 2017.</p>
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