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01/07/2003
'Decisive political leadership' needed to cut prison population
An independent report published today has refuted suggestions that the judicial system is going soft on crime, and called for "decisive political leadership" to reduce the growing prison population.
The report by the Prison Reform Trust, ‘The Decision to Imprison: Sentencing and the Prison Population’, says that the rise in prison numbers is not linked to a rise in crime but is caused by tougher sentencing. The courts are sending far more people to jail and for much longer, the trust claims.
The report slams the "increasingly punitive climate of political and media debate" about crime and punishment has added to hysteria over the judicial system.
Currently, the prison system is operating above its capacity. On June 20 2003 the prison population of England and Wales was 73,478 - its highest ever recorded level and 13,000 more than when Labour came to power.
The UK now has the highest imprisonment rate in the EU at 139 per 100,000 - taking over from Portugal which has an imprisonment rate of 131 per 100,000.
In its conclusion, the report claims that the best way of bringing down the prison population is for the government to issue guidance to the courts to use imprisonment less often, and where custody is used, to pass shorter sentences.
The Director of the Prison Reform Trust, Juliet Lyon, said: “This report shows that it will take a decisive and sustained change of political will to halt the relentless increase in our prison population and the shocking levels of re-offending and strain on the public purse which accompany it."
Responding to the report prior to speaking at its launch, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, said: “This important report shows that there is an answer to the continually increasing prison population. The answer is a change in rhetoric from all those with a leading role in the criminal justice system.”
By the end of the decade Home Office projections predict a prison population of anything between 91,400 and 109,600.
The report draws on interviews with 133 judges and magistrates from across England and Wales to examine what factors influence sentencing.
(GMcG)
The report by the Prison Reform Trust, ‘The Decision to Imprison: Sentencing and the Prison Population’, says that the rise in prison numbers is not linked to a rise in crime but is caused by tougher sentencing. The courts are sending far more people to jail and for much longer, the trust claims.
The report slams the "increasingly punitive climate of political and media debate" about crime and punishment has added to hysteria over the judicial system.
Currently, the prison system is operating above its capacity. On June 20 2003 the prison population of England and Wales was 73,478 - its highest ever recorded level and 13,000 more than when Labour came to power.
The UK now has the highest imprisonment rate in the EU at 139 per 100,000 - taking over from Portugal which has an imprisonment rate of 131 per 100,000.
In its conclusion, the report claims that the best way of bringing down the prison population is for the government to issue guidance to the courts to use imprisonment less often, and where custody is used, to pass shorter sentences.
The Director of the Prison Reform Trust, Juliet Lyon, said: “This report shows that it will take a decisive and sustained change of political will to halt the relentless increase in our prison population and the shocking levels of re-offending and strain on the public purse which accompany it."
Responding to the report prior to speaking at its launch, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, said: “This important report shows that there is an answer to the continually increasing prison population. The answer is a change in rhetoric from all those with a leading role in the criminal justice system.”
By the end of the decade Home Office projections predict a prison population of anything between 91,400 and 109,600.
The report draws on interviews with 133 judges and magistrates from across England and Wales to examine what factors influence sentencing.
(GMcG)
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Overcrowding and high reoffending rates are a fact of life in today’s prison system according to an analysis of recent prison population statistics by the Prison Reform Trust. Despite opening two new prisons this year with a capacity of 2,500 places, 59% of prisons in England and Wales are operating at an overcrowded level.
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Tagged prisoners on crime spree
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
