Only 3% of benefits cheats actually go to jail

Martin Rickett/PA Wire

It's all well and good for the Coalition to tell us that it is going to crack down on benefit cheats but when fraud and error have cost us an extra £200million in just this past year then news that those who are caught are mostly escaping punishment shows just how effective that 'crack down' is.

It seems that jail is no longer considered a deterrent by our court system as last year, from the 6,300 people convicted of benefit fraud – that is stealing our money – only 203 were locked up. That figure is just 3%.