Make Justice Work in The Times.

“Sir, I too am concerned that stronger sentencing powers for magistrates would put more strain on a prison system that is already bursting at the seams and failing to bring about a reduction in reoffending. Real savings to society, in terms of fewer victims and less expense to the taxpayer, will come not from diverting cases away from the Crown Court to the magistrates’ courts but instead diverting nuisance offenders away from short-term prison sentences to well-resourced alternatives to custody, which can encompass dedicated drug rehabilitation, training and employment schemes and mental health support…“

Read the full article at: The Times »

Make Justice Work in The Guardian.

Repeating mistakes of US prisons

“I, too, am deeply concerned that by pouring over £2.3bn into Titan warehouses, throwing even more money at a system which is dangerously overstretched and fails to reduce reoffending, we risk replicating the worst aspects of US penal policy. What’s more, I fear this will happen without any reasoned debate – without the public ever knowing how much we plan to spend on policies that will not make them safer…“

Read the full article at: The Guardian »

Make Justice Work respond to HM Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales Annual Report

Press Statement: Government must heed warnings before it is too late

Following the publication of the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Dame Anne Owers, annual report, Roma Hooper, Director of a new campaign organisation called Make Justice Works says:

“Anne Owers’ annual report reveals, yet again, the real scale of the crisis in our prison system. It is now a matter of urgency that the government recognise that building their way out of the prison problem is not the answer.

“Surely instead of pouring in a minimum of £2.3 billion into titan prisons, throwing more money at a system which is dangerously overstretched and is not effective at reducing re-offending, we should be trying to reduce prison numbers by investing in alternatives to custody for low risk offenders, which are now proven to be more effective at reducing re-offending and cost far less money.

“Diverting funding into robust  and effective alternatives to prison, which can encompass training and employment schemes, drug rehabilitation and mental health support, will not only release time, space and money for specialist rehabilitation for our most serious offenders who should be in prison, but also reduce the dangers associated with overcrowding.

“Surely, this is the moment for such measures, which will save us all money and make us safer, to make it onto the government’s agenda once and for all”.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. For further information or to speak to Roma Hooper, please contact Geoff Duggan on 0207 031 1164 or 0778 655 7182.
2. Make Justice Work is a new media campaign designed to raise public awareness of the costliness of locking up non-violent offenders and the futility of short-term sentences while at the same time identifying better ways of reducing re-offending and improving public safety. The campaign will launch officially in spring 2009.
3. Roma Hooper is the Director of Make Justice Work. A well known campaigner and penal policy expert she is also a Co-Founder and Chair of the Prison Radio Association, Chair of the Griffins Society (a practitioner based research organisation looking at the needs of female offenders) and Vice-Chair of the Foundation Training Company (an organisation that runs a series of prison based resettlement and development programmes).

Press Statement: Titan prisons won’t work – Channel funds to alternatives that will

Following the publication of the report by the House of Commons Justice Select Committee into prison overcrowding, Roma Hooper, Director of a new campaign organisation called Make Justice Works says:
Continue reading “Make Justice Work respond to the House of Commons Justice Select Committee report into prison overcrowding” »

Make Justice Work in the Society Guardian.

“Peter Selby (Cut from a different cloth, March 12) is right to point out that recent developments in the criminal justice system are deeply disturbing. I’ve worked in and around prisons for many years, and I know from talking to people within the system that there is a strong consensus behind Selby’s sentiment that kneejerk short-termism within the government and parts of the media is crippling an already ailing prison system…”

 

Read the full article at: Society Guardian »