Yesterday, Peter, my deputy, and I visited Judge David Fletcher at the North Liverpool Community Court. It was an inspirational visit and a welcome antidote to the Queen’s Speech, where the reform of community sentences is deeply informed by punishment. What we saw yesterday in Liverpool were not sentences being dished out that were soft and as some would see as “being let off” – they were rational, challenging and intelligently focussed on the individual in the dock and the need to not only get them to comply to their order, but reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
The Government’s proposals in ‘Getting it right for victims and witnesses‘ contain some good ideas. But Victim Support is very concerned about one key element of these plans.
Continue reading “Take action: don’t let victims suffer twice” »
“Our chair, David Barrie, Javed khan CEO of Victim Support and I met with the Policy Unit at no 10. It was an open and encouraging discussion and enabled us to talk about the joint piece of work which we are undertaking in late June to gauge the views of victims of lower level crime before and after visiting a higher level community sentence. The meeting further confirmed the challenge we have in improving the media, politicians and the public’s understanding of community sentences. They are simply not all community payback!” – Roma Hooper.
Roma Hooper and David Barrie at No.10
Roma Hooper and Javed Khan at No.10
Rob Allen works on prison reform in the UK and internationally. From 2005 to 2010 he was director of the International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS) at King’s College London and is currently at Justice and Prisons. He is also an ambassador for Make Justice Work.
Continue reading “We must invest time, relationships and resources to stop reoffending – by Rob Allen, Ambassador for Make Justice Work” »
When a crime is committed it is deemed to be committed against the state. The victim goes one way, and the perpetrator goes the other way and never the twain shall meet.
Continue reading ““People dancing look ridiculous to those who can’t hear the music” by Bob Turney, Ambassador for Make Justice Work” »
Marina Cantacuzino is founder of the Forgiveness Project a charity exploring forgiveness and restorative justice through real people’s stories. Marina is also an ambassador for Make Justice Work.
Continue reading “Rehabilitation in the community serves the offender – Marina Cantacuzino (Founder of the Forgiveness Project and Ambassador of Make Justice Work)” »
Roger Graef OBE, is CEO of Films of Record, an award winning production company and ambassador of Make Justice Work.
Continue reading “Prison is an expensive way of making people worse – Roger Graef OBE, CEO of Films of Record and ambassador of Make Justice Work” »
Given that the majority of women in prison are serving sentences as a result of non-violent crimes, there is a need to reconsider whether many of them should be separated from their children in the first place (Women should get time out of jail to see their children, Daily Telegraph 14.02.2012). Women are over-represented in the cohort of prisoners serving short prison sentences – at huge expense to the taxpayer. Not only are such sentences ineffective, but they also plunge families into deeper crisis. Tough and effective community sentences, don’t punish innocent children but can ensure mothers address their behaviour and get their lives back on track. Such sentences also come at much less cost to the taxpayer.
Roma Hooper
Simon is the founder of YO! Brand, including YO!Sushi, YOTEL, YO! Zone, and YO! Foundation, which he set up to support various charitable causes that are important to him. He is also an ambassador of Make Justice Work.
“For those with illiterate and dysfunctional backgrounds turning to crime is a reasonable and logical means to survive. Today we have the means to turn those people’s lives around and it makes simple business sense to do that .
Just 50 years from now our children’s children will look back at the way we imprison without rehabilitation with the same sense of injustice as we now look back at debtors prisons of the 18th century.
In business we know that 95% training , empowering and carrot and 5% punishment and stick brings the best results – it’s time we took that logic and experience to rehabilitation and prison.”
Tony Cann is a trustee of the Ruskin Foundation and an ambassador of Make Justice Work.
Continue reading “We need to move to non custodial sentences with adequate support – Tony Cann ambassador of Make Justice Work” »
Make Justice Work urges the Leveson Inquiry to be bold and seize the opportunity to affect a sea change in the culture and ethics of the British media and bring back an ethos of responsibility, and to lessen the influence that the press has upon politicians and policy making.
Read Make Justice Work’s full submission to the Leveson Inquiry
Joy Doal is the project manager of the Anawim Project, a women’s centre in Birmingham that helps women in prostitution, victims of domestic violence and women who are in and out of prison. She is also an ambassador for Make Justice Work.
Continue reading “Women succeed on community sentences – Joy Doal ambassador for Make Justice Work.” »
The Howard League for Penal Reform have sent a really interesting submission to the Leveson Enquiry addressing the mainstream media’s coverage of crime ‘Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press’.
Continue reading “The Howard League’s submission to the Leveson Enquiry” »
Baroness Stedman Scott (Debbie Scott) is the CEO Tomorrow’s People Trust and an ambassador for Make Justice Work.
Continue reading “We need to ensure that we tackle the current problems within our society head on.” »
The Archbishop of Canterbury is right to warn that the riots could return (The Guardian, Investigating England’s Summer of Disorder, 5th December 2011). As a result of the violence in August we saw a surge in the number of offenders given short prison sentences. This is a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money. Short prison sentences are ineffective when it comes to tackling re-offending and making offenders face-up to what they have done. Intensive alternatives to custody are tough and are also more successful when it comes to ensuring the same crimes aren’t repeated. If we really want to cut crime, we need to stop making the same mistakes.
The Independent’s leader (Overcrowded prisons are a national disgrace, 24 Nov) is right to call short prison sentences the most obviously dysfunctional part of what Ken Clarke called our “broken penal system”, and his proposed reforms should appeal to those who care about efficient use of public money. After all, the evidence is that intensive community sentences reduce reoffending more than short sentences.
Continue reading “Overcrowded prisons are a national disgrace” »
The argument that prison is the answer to tackling re-offending is flawed (Daily Express, Opinion, 24 November). Most offenders who serve short prison sentences re-offend once they are released. This revolving door between prison and the community is a scandalous waste of taxpayers’ money. Intensive alternatives to custody are not only tough, but they are also far more effective when it comes to cutting re-offending. If we really want to cut crime, we need to accept that locking people behind bars for a few months, simply doesn’t work.
While the right in Texas have started to look at more effective ways of punishing and rehabilitating offenders, Britain’s prison population is now at a record high (Ian Birrell, 21 November). This comes at huge cost to the tax-payer and should make today’s deficit hawks sit up and take note. Our Community or Custody National Enquiry, chaired by conservative commentator Peter Oborne, found that intensive alternatives to custody are no soft touch and are more effective than short prison sentences at cutting re-offending. Ian Birrell is right to hope for an outbreak of common sense. Like Texas, Britain too can cut crime, costs and our spiralling prison population.
Fay Selvan is CEO of The Big Life group of social businesses and charities which works across the north of England. The group deliver a range of services and opportunities to the most excluded people, including The Big Issue in the North, primary care and mental health services, family intervention, employment and supported housing.
Continue reading “We need to get sentencing right” »
The government should take note when Mothers Against Murder and Aggression rightly say “there is no point in someone being locked up for six weeks and then released with the same issues and lifestyle because they just reoffend” (‘Repeat offenders who won’t reform commit half a million crimes’ Oct 27).
Continue reading “Staggering re-offending statistics” »
When someone offends the penalty should be proportionate the public should be protected and the offender should offer restitution. It is in society’s own interest that the offender should not offend again. It is also in the interests of the offender.
Continue reading “Community Sentences have a better track record in reducing reoffending” »
Make Justice Work’ is arguing for greater use of community sentences as a better alternative than short prison sentences. I agree – which is why I’m an ambassador for the campaign, along with many others. But my focus is primarily on custody, because the charity of which I’m director largely works inside prison, so my reason for agreeing is slightly different.
Continue reading “Education and Community Sentences” »
The below are the authors’ personal views and not necessarily representative of Birmingham University or of the London Probation Trust.
The recent disturbances across many key cities of Britain have led media commentators, politicians, senior police officers and others to consider the causes of the surprising, and even, shocking series of events that took place. Whilst some of these incidents involved extreme forms of violence in the form of murder, physical assault, arson, gang-related violence, other incidents are not so easily classified – looting, handling stolen goods, accepting items that had been looted by others. These sets of behaviours have been presented in media accounts as amoral, as people getting kicks out of lawless behaviour, as a symptom of a society whereby parents have lost control of their children.
Continue reading “Rioting in Britain – A Criminal Justice System Out of Control?” »
In this, the third of our guest bloggers, we hear from Paul Cowley. Paul is an Ambassador for Make Justice Work and is also Executive Director of Caring for Ex-Offenders and The William Wilberforce Trust.
I’ve heard it proposed that the purpose of prison is fourfold:
- Punish the offender for the crime committed
- Protect the public
- Rehabilitate the offender
- Deter people from committing more crime
So the question is do short sentences achieve these aims?
Continue reading “Why short term prison sentences are not working” »
I am delighted to announce the publication of the National Enquiry – Final Report
Continue reading “The National Enquiry – Launch of the Final Report” »
