What happened to the 'Punishment should fit the Crime'

I have just been reading this article in the Telegraph, and I was wondering what happened to the saying the 'Punishment should fit the Crime'.

This is the headline to the article;

Thousands of criminals to serve less time in prison under Government plans

Tens of thousands of criminals will spend less time in prison under Government plans to limit the ability of judges to set jail sentences, an official document has disclosed.

Here is an extract from the article;

It suggests that officials are alarmed that judges are giving criminals longer sentences than proposed by ministers, which they refer to as “upward sentencing drift”. From April, a new Sentencing Council will effectively force judges to follow sentencing guidelines drawn up in Westminster.

An official assessment of the impact of the move concludes that if judges follow guidelines set down by the council it will avoid the need for more than 1,000 future prison places. This represents tens of thousands of criminals being spared jail time over the next few years.

'Officials are alarmed that criminals were getting longer sentences'.

What is wrong in giving a criminal a proper jail sentence. The judges hear the evidence against the criminal and give a sentence that he thought would fit the crime. Although there are some judges who need to see what it is like outside their comfortable lives and see what it is like for the rest of us out in the real world.

According to this article in the Mail there are some criminals like drug traffickers, burglers and even rapists who were given cautions. A CAUTION, for crying out loud you get given a slap on the wrist for a serious crime.

What about Munir Hussain who was jailed for attacking someone who broke into his home, held his family hostage and they jailed him. He should of been rewarded for what he did.

Another extract from the article;

The Sentencing Council will become the body providing sentencing guides for judges and magistrates when it replaces the Sentencing Guidelines Council and Sentencing Advisory Panel. It has greater powers because legislation says courts “must follow” guidelines and have a “duty” to impose sentences within an identified range. Under the previous bodies, courts needed only to “have regard” to any guidelines.

'Courts must follow the guidelines'. As long as those guidelines make sure the punishment fits the crime.

Guidelines are that, a guide for judges to impose a sentence.

All this is to keep the prison population down, and the government are trying to spin it.

'Punishment should fit the crime'