News
- 11.08.2010 | Daily Telegraph Ministry of Justice job cuts put the public at risk, union warns
- 11.08.2010 | Guardian Commissioner Paul Stephenson opposes Kenneth Clarke’s plans to lock up fewer criminals
- 15.08.2010 | Independent Failed by her keepers: Ana Attia’s Story
- 28.08.2010 | BBC News Cutting short term jail sentences ‘will not reduce crime’
Our Research
- Martin Wright Towards a Restorative Society
- Matrix Evidence Are Short-Term Prison Sentences Efficient and Effective?
Prison ships are not the way to rehabilitation revolution
01.02.2010
David Cameron’s mission to use prison ships to get himself out of the overcrowding/early release problems are ill thought-through and utterly counterproductive to his rehabilitation revolution vision.
What he appears to completely miss is that a large proportion of prisoners are low-level offenders on short-term sentences who should not be locked up in the first place. Cameron could quite sensibly use the prison ship money to arrange suitable punishment for these offenders in the community. Despite some scepticism for community sentences, they are in fact much for effective at reducing re-offending for this particular group of persistent but low-level, non-violent offenders. Only by diverting resources into community provision can we ever hope to stem the numbers flowing into our prison system and put pride into community sentences.
Government must make changes to deliver value for money in our justice system
15.01.2010
This week heralds the publication of a major new report from the House of Commons Justice Committee. It offers a stiff and unrelenting reminder to the state of this country’s odd economic attitude towards criminal justice. Never before has this country faced such an enormous bill for a crime level which is in fact dropping. It strikes me that when
trying to save money in our own lives the key features of any good budget is that what we purchase is value for money and works (either tastes good or doesn’t break in five minutes). Our country’s existing budgetary approach to less crime and less victims runs counter intuitive to this. The system of locking up people in prison for short sentences when they are not dangerous and could be punished in the community is neither value for money nor does it work.
As a cross party report, surely this should provide government with a neutral and objective opportunity for change: reverse the prison building programme, invest in communities and stop politicising criminal justice policy. This report shows what works – trust it and act on it.
No room for quick fixes in the prison system
11.01.2010
As we move into the silly season leading up to the election, let’s hope for less point scoring and more sensible and rational debates around criminal justice. With the Tories now thankfully back tracking on the expansion of an already expanding prison system, will they dare to stand by their rehabilitation revolution?
It is absolutely pointless pouring more money into prison places if it is not supported by well invested programmes inside prisons but most importantly, then replicated outside in the community. If a new government really wants to impress the public, and critically, victims, then it must rethink just where it spends its limited resources. Surely common sense tells us that family and educational support, drug and alcohol programmes, housing and employment remain the core to reducing someone’s offending behaviour? No more quick fixes, please.
Prisoners continue to surprise us with their extraodinary story telling and ability to deliver cutting edge radio
30.11.09
As part of my wider remit, last week I attended the Prison Radio Association’s second annual conference at Warwick University. We have come a long way in the last 12 months – we have a three contract with the Prison Service and are setting up the world’s first national prison radio service! As always it is the prison radio clips done by prisoners with their tutors and radio station managers which remind us why radio is such a unique confidence raising and educational tool.
Prisoners continue to surprise us with their extraodinary story telling and ability to deliver cutting edge radio.
On Thursday on behalf of the Griffins Society, Clinks, Women in Prison and the MOJ I co-chaired the Women in Focus conference celebrating much of the excellent work which has come out of the Corston Agenda and the subsequent funding. Maria Eagle remains the exemplary champion for women offenders and again, it was listening to Wendy Cranmer who is one the Griffins trustees, tell the story of her experience of going into the criminal justice system that confirms that we must do absolutely everything we can to keep low level, non-violent offenders out of prison – whether they be male or female.
Finally, the work being done by all those organisations working with women is proving undoubtedly that appropriate, focussed and challenging alternatives to custody really can reduce crime.
We need bravery from our politicians
13.11.09
A busy two weeks. We have had good coverage with regard to the recommendations from the Centre for Social Justice about less use of short prison sentences and since then have met with Alan Duncan to further support this approach. The challenge, as ever, remains. Will common sense recommendations be pushed under the carpet in the run up to the election and post election because of the fear of looking soft on crime? More than ever, the beneficial role of community punishment must be shared with the public to gain their confidence. We know that improving community sentences will require resourcing but it strikes me that this is not past the wit of man…..
Sheila McKechnie, YWCA and the Scottish Parliament
30.10.09
I am constantly humbled by the amazing campaigners there are in this country. I am attending a Sheila McKechnie campaigning course where I have the opportunity to gain more knowledge about campaigning as well as meeting others running campaigns. Inspirational.
Last week I went the YWCA Girls Binge Drinking Conference where I was staggered to discover the depth of our teenage drinking problem here in the UK and the depressing evidence of the impact of low prices but worse still, the level of low self esteem amongst teenage girls. The YWCA are, however, really trying to take this problem on and I do applaud them for that.
I visited the Scottish Parliament too and met with the Head of the Community Justice Delivery to talk about the work they are doing to develop community payback. MJW is keen to showcase the process they are going through to support the new legislation to reduce the use of prison for those given under 6 month sentences.
And to finish on a lighter note, I went and saw the new film that Billy Bragg has just released about the work of Jail Guitar Doors. We were guests of Paul McDowell, the new CEO of Nacro, who has been a massive fan of Billy Bragg and supporter of his work. Two of the ex- offenders who benefitted from his work were there as was Maria Eagle, MP – the film was absolutely the best advocate of music and arts in prisons so let’s hope that it goes some way to address the ridiculous negativity that has occurred this year about the benefits of this kind of work with offenders.
Off to the Centre for Social Justice’s Court and Sentencing Public Policy Briefing on Monday – so watch this space!
We must hold the Tories to account.
I’ve just spent two days at the Conservative Party Conference talking, walking, listening and connecting. I went to a number of high level fringe events, well attended by key ministers which is encouraging. Inevitably I remain sceptical – rhetoric does not often convert into real action but the underlying feeling I came away with is one of cautious optimism.
However, it is absolutely critical that we, as a sector, don’t let up for a minute - we have got to keep talking to the shadow minister of justice and his team to ensure that their desire to make tough and honest choices is rational and workable – that is, building your way of out the prison crisis won’t work and the only sensible and economically viable choice is to divert money away from new prison places into more tough alternatives to custody for appropriate offenders.
Only then can we start drip feeding the money down to where it is really needed – away from criminal justice and towards families and early support.
The final insult
25.09.09
We should be ashamed that we are not offering the kind of mental health, drug and alcohol support that is clearly badly needed to support those who have risked their lives to protect our liberty.
The final insult of the week has to be the the rising number of our former servicemen ending up in the criminal justice system.
Instead we now have over 8,500 veterans behind bars – over 10% of the total held in our prison system: a system which is overburdened and under resourced.
Surely now is the time to divert as many of these veterans as possible, with the resources it costs to lock them up, away from custody into properly robust and appropriate services in the community.
Fresh from the States:
23.09.09
“(Springfield, IL) – As part of a prison reform package, nearly one-thousand low-level and non-violent prisoners in Illinois will be released to parole agents. The move will allow Illinois Department of Corrections officials to concentrate on higher-risk offenders. The prisoners will face strict rules and will be subject to electronic monitoring for the duration of their sentence. Another part of the plan will reduce the number of offenders sent to prison. Two-million dollars has been provided for community-based programs to keep non-violent offenders out of jail.”
…America has learnt from its prison fest – isn’t it time we did?
Sheila McKechnie Campaigner Awards
21.09.09
It was the Sheila McKechnie Campaigner Awards last week and I was honoured to have been a finalist for the Social Inclusion Campaigner of the Year Award.
What an amazing group of campaign winners – a young man had literally just flown in from Ghana to be presented with the International Campaigner Award. Do check out the winners.