LONDON—With the largest per capita prison population in Europe, Britain’s prison system is a “revolving door” for criminals, said Justice Minister Ken Clarke.
Clarke is now seeking to “break the cycle” of crime and reduce the prison population. Announcing his Green Paper on sentencing in England and Wales to Parliament, the justice secretary said he estimates it will cut the inmate population of 85,000 by 3,000.
“The Green Paper is an important change of direction in penal policy, which will put more emphasis on reducing re-offending without reducing the punishment of offenders,” he told Parliament last Tuesday.
“By reforming criminals and turning them away from a life of crime, we will break the cycle. This will mean fewer crimes, fewer victims, and safer communities.”
The announcement, which marks an end to the old school “bang ‘em up” culture, may go against the grain for many Conservative Party members. The Conservative Party has for a long time allied itself with former leader Michael Howard’s pronouncement that “Prison works,” a comment made against a backdrop of the perception that Britain’s democratic socialist Labour Party was soft on crime. While he didn’t specifically say “Prison doesn’t work,” Mr. Clarke was keen to point out the inadequacies in the system and that nearly half of those sentenced re-offend within a year.
The potential unrest the shift in policy may cause among Conservatives, known also as Tories, was demonstrated when Conservative Member of Parliament Edward Leigh challenged the justice secretary in parliament saying, “Communities deserve a break, they deserve a break from being burgled.”
Mr. Clarke responded by assuring him no one was suggesting burglars should not get prison terms.{etRelated
“Despite record spending we are not delivering what really matters. Society has a right to expect the criminal justice system will protect them. Prison will always be the place for serious and dangerous offenders,” Mr. Clarke said.
He also outlined proposals to make offenders work harder with regular hours in prison and to undertake more demanding tasks in the community.
“Prisons should also be places of hard work, and industry and community sentences must be credible and robust. Criminals must also be reformed so that when they finish their sentences, they do not simply return to crime, creating more misery for victims,” he said.
Mr. Clarke also described the plans as having a “revolutionary shift in the way rehabilitation is financed and delivered.” Companies will be paid for good rehabilitation results.
The planned reforms also include paying foreign prisoners to leave the country, stopping to hold in custody those who are unlikely to be jailed after trial, giving more treatment to prisoners on drugs or with mental health problems, and reducing in half sentences for those who admit to a crime at the earliest opportunity.
The government is aiming to reduce the £4 billion ($6.5 billion) prison and probation budget by 20 percent over four years.
While the reform of the prison service might potentially resonate with a more left-wing agenda, the opposition has criticized the plans, saying that they are simply a fig-leaf for saving money.
Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan described the plans as a “humiliating U-turn” by the Conservatives, who had promised to be tough on crime before the election.
“Like so many of the heavily trailed announcements we have seen in the last six months, this sentencing review is a wasted opportunity.
“Sentencing policy should be about dealing with offenders in the right way to protect the public. But this review has been about trying to reduce the prison population in order to cut costs,” said Mr. Khan.
Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the National Association of Probation Officers, also questioned the reasons for the reform.
“The Green Paper, which is going to be launched today, is not primarily about value for money or building on what works; it is motivated by an ideological wish by the coalition to drive down costs and introduce the private sector,” he told Radio 4’s Today progra
Clarke is now seeking to “break the cycle” of crime and reduce the prison population. Announcing his Green Paper on sentencing in England and Wales to Parliament, the justice secretary said he estimates it will cut the inmate population of 85,000 by 3,000.
“The Green Paper is an important change of direction in penal policy, which will put more emphasis on reducing re-offending without reducing the punishment of offenders,” he told Parliament last Tuesday.
“By reforming criminals and turning them away from a life of crime, we will break the cycle. This will mean fewer crimes, fewer victims, and safer communities.”
The announcement, which marks an end to the old school “bang ‘em up” culture, may go against the grain for many Conservative Party members. The Conservative Party has for a long time allied itself with former leader Michael Howard’s pronouncement that “Prison works,” a comment made against a backdrop of the perception that Britain’s democratic socialist Labour Party was soft on crime. While he didn’t specifically say “Prison doesn’t work,” Mr. Clarke was keen to point out the inadequacies in the system and that nearly half of those sentenced re-offend within a year.
The potential unrest the shift in policy may cause among Conservatives, known also as Tories, was demonstrated when Conservative Member of Parliament Edward Leigh challenged the justice secretary in parliament saying, “Communities deserve a break, they deserve a break from being burgled.”
Mr. Clarke responded by assuring him no one was suggesting burglars should not get prison terms.{etRelated
“Despite record spending we are not delivering what really matters. Society has a right to expect the criminal justice system will protect them. Prison will always be the place for serious and dangerous offenders,” Mr. Clarke said.
He also outlined proposals to make offenders work harder with regular hours in prison and to undertake more demanding tasks in the community.
“Prisons should also be places of hard work, and industry and community sentences must be credible and robust. Criminals must also be reformed so that when they finish their sentences, they do not simply return to crime, creating more misery for victims,” he said.
Mr. Clarke also described the plans as having a “revolutionary shift in the way rehabilitation is financed and delivered.” Companies will be paid for good rehabilitation results.
The planned reforms also include paying foreign prisoners to leave the country, stopping to hold in custody those who are unlikely to be jailed after trial, giving more treatment to prisoners on drugs or with mental health problems, and reducing in half sentences for those who admit to a crime at the earliest opportunity.
The government is aiming to reduce the £4 billion ($6.5 billion) prison and probation budget by 20 percent over four years.
While the reform of the prison service might potentially resonate with a more left-wing agenda, the opposition has criticized the plans, saying that they are simply a fig-leaf for saving money.
Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan described the plans as a “humiliating U-turn” by the Conservatives, who had promised to be tough on crime before the election.
“Like so many of the heavily trailed announcements we have seen in the last six months, this sentencing review is a wasted opportunity.
“Sentencing policy should be about dealing with offenders in the right way to protect the public. But this review has been about trying to reduce the prison population in order to cut costs,” said Mr. Khan.
Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the National Association of Probation Officers, also questioned the reasons for the reform.
“The Green Paper, which is going to be launched today, is not primarily about value for money or building on what works; it is motivated by an ideological wish by the coalition to drive down costs and introduce the private sector,” he told Radio 4’s Today progra
