Short-term jail sentences cost Britain £10bn every year

Make Justice Work in The Independent.

“…Roma Hooper, director of the criminal justice project Make Justice Work, said: “Today’s NAO report highlights the massive cost and inefficiency of short-term prison sentences. As the evidence mounts against short-term prison sentences, the next prospective government should not shy away from addressing the issue and looking at more productive ways of dealing with low-level offenders.”

She added: “If these offenders were redirected to robust, community-based alternatives to custody, more money could be spent on rehabilitating them and providing vocational and training opportunities rather than wasting millions on keeping them behind bars.”