Longer prison sentences cut reoffending, study suggests

 In Press

The longer the prison sentence the less likely an offender is to commit a further crime, according to research.

The Ministry of Justice report found that 37.5% of those imprisoned for two to four years reoffended in a year, compared with 42.9% of those jailed for one to two years.

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said it was a “national scandal” that nearly half of all prisoners go back to crime.

The findings raise questions about his plans to cut the prison population.

Other figures showed that 40% of offenders sentenced to between one and two years in jail went on to reoffend within a year, compared with 44.5% of those jailed for less than 12 months.

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