Revolving door of crime and reoffending to stop says Clarke

The Government’s vision for criminal justice reform has been unveiled today by the Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, in his first major speech.

The reforms will create a more intelligent, consistent and transparent system of sentencing, and introduce a rehabilitation revolution that engages the expertise of independent organisations and gives them financial incentives to reduce reoffending. In turn this will help to reduce crime, and make our communities safer and better places to live.

Nearly half of all offenders sent to prison are reconvicted within a year, and the rate of reoffending is even higher – 60% – for the 60,000 prisoners who serve short-term sentences each year, creating a revolving door of crime. The Government will tackle this by looking in detail at the sentencing frameworks available, including the full range of penalties on offer.

In particular proposals to restore public trust through minimum / maximum sentencing will be explored. Under this system, offenders would serve a minimum period in prison set as the minimum punishment by the judge in court, without being eligible for release. The judge would also set a maximum period, and offenders would have to earn any release before that point.

The Government’s key priority is to punish offenders effectively as well as protect the public. Whilst prison remains the necessary punishment for many offenders – and is the only place for those offenders deemed a risk to the public – it is vital that the opportunities offered by community sentences to effectively punish and reform offenders are examined alongside the role of prison.

Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke said:

'I have three main priorities – to protect the public, punish offenders and provide access to justice.

'More than half of the crime in this country is committed by people who have been through the system. We must now take action and shut off this revolving door of crime and reoffending.

'We need a more constructive approach that tackles this head on. An intelligent and transparent approach to sentencing that targets the causes of reoffending, so making our communities safer and better places to live. We describe it as a Rehabilitation Revolution.

'Prisons have a crucial role to play. There are some nasty people who commit nasty offences. They must be punished, and communities protected. My first priority is the safety of the British public. Prisons must be places of punishment, but also of education, hard work and change.

'But simply locking people up for the sake of it is a waste of public funds. We must have other penalties on offer – such as rigorously enforced community sentences that punish offenders, but also get them off drugs and alcohol and into employment.

As part of this we intend to make better use of the voluntary sector’s expertise to help us get offenders away from crime. The most radical part of our new approach will involve paying independent organisations by results in reducing reoffending. And success would be measured - perhaps by whether the offender finds and keep a job, housing and so on; whether they become functioning members of society. But above all – by whether they are law abiding and avoid reoffending within the first few years of leaving prison.'

Notes to Editors:

1. Reoffending has been rising again in recent years – by 8% for adults between 2006 and 2008. Nearly half of offenders sent to prison are reconvicted within a year. The rate of reoffending is 60% for the 60,000 prisoners who serve short sentences each year.

2. There will also be a fundamental reassessment of Legal Aid in order to create a system which balances financial constraints with the interests of justice. Proposals include – the need for insurance, means testing and handling family cases outside the adversarial system.

3. Last week the Government published a consultation on how it can make UK courts meet the needs of the local community. Plans to reassess the system could recoup £21 million in one-off savings and £15 million each year through decreased running and maintenance costs.

4. As part of the Spending Review set out in last week’s Budget, the Government has launched a ‘Spending Challenge’ aimed at engaging the country in thinking about  public services and how they are provided. The first phase of the Challenge aims to harness the experience and insight of those at the front line, including court staff,  prison and probation officers and civil servants, who will be asked to share their ideas. The Spending Challenge website has been set up where the country’s six million public sector workers can submit their answers to the question, 'How do we rethink services to deliver more for less?' The public phase of the  engagement programme will begin on 9 July.

5. Please call the Ministry of Justice Press Office on 020 3334 3536 for further information.