Fewer criminals will be sent to jail and more will be given community sentences to try and cut re-offending rates, under radical plans to reform the criminal justice system announced by the government. Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said deep cuts in public spending will require a new approach to dealing with crime and punishment. He likened the review to a "rehabilitation revolution," which would save money and reap results.
A policeman said it was more of a diversion than a U-turn
In a speech at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in London, he described the doubling of the prison population since he was Home Secretary in 1992 as "astonishing" and a failure of the penal system. "It costs more to put someone in prison for a year than it does to send a boy to Eton - on average 38,000 pounds," Clarke said. "The taxpayer is providing keep and accommodation, albeit in grossly overcrowded conditions, at expensive hotel prices ..."
The prison population reached a record high in May of 85,201. Britain has one of the highest prison populations and one of the highest crime rates in Western Europe. Almost half of all prisoners re-offend within a year of their release and reoffending rates have risen by 8% in recent years, official figures show. Clarke said that of particular concern was the high rate of re-offending, around 60% of the 60,000 prisoners serving short sentences each year, which had to be tackled. Prime Minister David Cameron said he fully endorsed his minister's review, saying the previous Labour government's policies ended in a "complete mess" and failure.
