Longer prison sentences deter re-offending, study shows

Offenders released from longer sentences also go on to commit fewer crimes after being released than those serving shorter jail terms, the Ministry of Justice said.

According to the figures, only a third of offenders given sentences of between two and four years went back to crime within a year. By contrast, some 43 per cent of those jailed for between a year and two years went on to reoffend.

It is the first time such research has been carried out and fuels the growing row over the role of prison in Kenneth Clarke’s sentencing reforms.

Read the full article on the Telegraph’s website.