I've worked in criminal justice for 30 years . During that time there have been numerous political pressure groups campaigning for custody to be used less in sentencing. Groups such as NAPO, NACRO, Howard League come to mind.
By any measure, these groups have totally failed to achieve any of their major ambitions. The use of custody continues unabated. Such agencies have totally let down not only those CJ professionals who long for a more rational approach to sentencing but the thousands of petty offenders who have continued to be sucked into custody for want of a change in sentencing culture. Is it not time for such groups to admit their failure, take a critical look at their tactics and operations, and let a new approach to campaign work emerge. Trading the same old arguments by the same old camapaigners - judged by past performance - is simply a waste of time.
