NEW PRISON SENTENCING PLAN FOR UK

sky news report

Clarke: PM Supports Prison Sentencing Plan Share Comments
6:16am UK, Saturday April 16, 2011

Justice Minister Kenneth Clarke has insisted his plans to overhaul sentencing enjoy the full backing of Prime Minister David Cameron and the Cabinet.

Kenneth Clarke rejected criticisms that his proposals were "soft"



In an interview with The Times newspaper, Mr Clarke said: "I have never said anything on crime and punishment which is not the collective policy of the entire government from top to bottom."

Mr Clarke is preparing to put forward a bill next month intended to reduce the number of criminals being imprisoned and curb reoffending.

His proposals include larger sentence discounts for early guilty pleas, limiting remands to prison and diverting the mentally ill to healthcare facilities rather than jail.

But the Justice Minister has come under in recent weeks for advocating shorter prison sentences, more community-based punishments and rehabilitation - proposals that some have criticised as "soft".


It is just very, very bad value for taxpayers' money to keep banging them up and warehousing them in overcrowded prisons where most of them get toughened up

Justice Minister Kenneth Clarke

Mr Clarke acknowledged that the current community punishments were weak but said that he planned to ensure offenders would be made to do eight hours unpaid work a day.

"I want them to be more punitive, effective and organised," he said.

"Unpaid work should require offenders to work at a proper pace in a disciplined manner rather than youths just hanging around doing odd bits tidying up derelict sites."

Mr Clarke said the current rate of jail sentencing was "financially unsustainable".

"It is just very, very bad value for taxpayers' money to keep banging them up and warehousing them in overcrowded prisons where most of them get toughened up."

It is expected a total of 6,450 prison places will be saved under his proposals, leading to a prison population in England and Wales that is about 3,000 lower than today's near-record levels of more than 85,000 people.

Mr Clarke also said prisons were bad at preventing reoffending, with 50% of prisoners committing another offence within a year of release, and not the best way to deal with those who might stop offending if their drug and alcohol abuse problems were tackled.

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Actually, it"s not a bad idea as long as it is properly monitored. Offenders SHOULD do Community Service instead of being incarcerated at Taxpayers
Expense. The system works very well in America, but there has to be full co-operation by firms willing to employ these offenders without pay and
diligent Parole Officers.

Panda

I agree with you - it works in the US so it should work here - but we have to remember we have singed up to the Human Rights Bill and no doubt this sort of treatment - making them work - will be frowned upon. Good idea though!