COMMON SENSE

Commenting on the speech by the Home Secretary today, Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust said:

“The Prison Reform Trust welcomes the Home Secretary’s proposals that people who are serving short sentences should be released early under the tagging system.  This move addresses a failing within the criminal justice system.  Up to now people serving sentences of less than one year have been released from prison without any supervision or monitoring and without any support to resettle in the community. Every day  people leave prison carrying plastic bin bags stamped HMP with a few possessions , no home or job to go to and sometimes not sure whether to turn left or right out of the prison gate.   Small wonder that 76% of young men released from prison are re-convicted within two years.

By using increased supervision David Blunkett is making a determined effort to increase public safety.  The Home Secretary must keep a steady nerve to convince the public that far from being soft on crime, the Government’s rigorous reform agenda will succeed in preventing the next victim.  It is more important to be effective than to act tough. 

David Blunkett, must now build a coherent policy framework for his programme of reforms including early preventative work with children and families, intensive supervision of young offenders and rigorous work with serious, violent offenders within the prison system.

Relieving prison overcrowding is a legitimate aim for any Home Secretary committed to reducing crime.  Large overcrowded, under-resourced prisons cannot hope to work.  Unless David Blunkett can take the pressure off the Prison Service, it will continue to release people more, not less, likely to offend again.