MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (No:045/08) issued by The Government News Network on 3
June 2008
Tough community
sentences have a real impact on reducing crime and preventing
offenders from reoffending said David Hanson MP today launching a
new document outlining the impact of strong community punishments.
Putting offenders through tough community sentences can often be
more effective in reducing reoffending than a short spell in prison.
Mr Hanson was launching a new report, 'Community Sentencing
- Reducing Reoffending, Changing Lives', which shows how such
punishments for less serious offenders work in the battle against crime.
The minister is also commencing a series of regional discussions
on sentencing policy and to highlight how community sentences play
a key role in cutting reoffending.
David Hanson MP said,
"Prison is necessary to punish offenders and protect the
public from serious sexual and violent offenders. The Government
will always ensure there are places available for those offenders.
But it is not necessarily the best route for less serious
offenders who may lose their job, their accommodation and their
family ties after a short period of imprisonment. Avoiding these
issues cuts the likelihood of reoffending on release, and in doing
so cuts crime.
"No one wants crime in their communities - it creates
victims and places a significant burden on the tax payer. It costs
around £37,000 to lock an offender up for a year. But it
isn't always the most effective way of dealing with an
offender. We have a duty to ensure that we provide punishments
which are most effective in cutting re-offending.
"The truth is that for many offenders community sentences
are more effective in cutting re-offending than short-term prison
sentences and we need to ensure the public have confidence that
this is fact.
"A three year community order with supervision and 100 hours
of unpaid work is a tough sentence which places heavy demands on
the offender. Recent statistics show that the frequency of
re-offending for those sentenced to community orders has fallen
sharply by 13 per cent. I'm determined to widen this debate
over the next six months and will be taking the discussion out to
local communities."
The Government committed £40 million in March to ensure
magistrates have tough community sentences at their disposal. We
also announced an additional investment of £13.9 million over the
next three years to fund six new intensive alternatives to custody
projects which will give offenders more supervision and support.
The piloting of intensive alternatives to custody and the
provision of more rigorous non-custodial regimes were recommended
in the Carter Review published last year and accepted by the
Ministry of Justice.
Notes to Editors
1. The community order, introduced in the Criminal Justice Act
2003, gives sentencers the flexibility they need to tailor
community sentences to the offence and the offender. Within the
community order, there are a number of very demanding requirements
ranging from regular drug testing, treatment and monitoring under
the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement to more punitive elements such
as curfews and physically demanding working in the community under
the unpaid work requirement.
2. Unpaid work can include bringing derelict areas and buildings
back into public use such as clearing church yards, repairing park
benches and removing graffiti. Offenders are put to hard work to
make communities better places to live and they often carry out
work that would otherwise not be completed.
3. The report 'Community Sentencing - Reducing Reoffending,
Changing Lives' can be found at http://www.justice.gov.uk
from the 3 June.
ENDS