David Cameron speaks out about Community Sentence

David Cameron speaks out about Community Sentences

Posted June 21, 2011

In the press conference, after his statement on Criminal Justice (21st June 2011), this is what David Cameron had to say about community sentences:

‘If the public can see that community sentences are strong and meaningful…they will have confidence in them as alternatives to short prison sentences, and also, crucially, sentencers …will see that that there is an alternative to the short prison sentence, which is expensive and often doesn’t work because there isn’t much you can do with someone for a short amount of time. So I want to see community sentences that have an element of punishment in them. Where the public can see, yes, this person is getting their just deserts – I feel confident so therefore I don’t feel they have to go to prison. I don’t think we have enough of that at the moment. In some cases it’s working better, but I’d like to see more of that.’

This is encouraging, and suggests that, despite the emphasis on tough prison sentences, the government does in fact realise that community sentences have a key part to play.

community sentences, David Cameron, sentence reform

Roma Hooper

Roma has worked in and around the criminal justice system since 1992, when she was asked to help set up Britain’s first prison radio station at Feltham Young Offenders’ Institution. She has a Masters in Criminal Justice Policy from the London School of Economics, is Chair of the Griffins Society (supporting women in the criminal justice system), Vice-Chair of the Foundation Training Company (which runs a series of prison and community based resettlement and development programmes) as well as Chair and Founder of the Prison Radio Association. In 2010 she launched Make Justice Work, a campaign to highlight the cost of short-term prison sentences and to improve public confidence in community sentences.