Community bans replace prison
Short prison sentences in England and Wales are set to be scrapped in favour of tougher community penalties, as ministers move to ease the mounting prisons crisis.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed plans for a Sentencing Bill this autumn, which will largely end the use of short custodial sentences, except in “exceptional circumstances”.
Instead, judges will be handed new powers to impose strict community punishments, including bans from pubs, sports events and concerts.
Deterring reoffending
The Ministry of Justice said the measures would “toughen up community punishments to deter reoffending and force offenders back on to the straight and narrow”.
Travel bans, driving restrictions and wider drug testing will also form part of the reforms.
Mahmood has argued that short sentences are often counterproductive. She pointed to data showing nearly 60% of offenders jailed for 12 months or less reoffended within a year, compared with consistently lower rates among those given community penalties.
Prisons under strain
The UK’s prison population has doubled in the past three decades to more than 87,000. Holding one prisoner costs around £53,800 per year, according to official figures.
Ministers were forced last summer to launch an early release scheme to free up spaces, underlining how close the system is to capacity.
“This government inherited a prisons system days away from collapse,” a spokesperson said.
“Without further action, we will run out of prison places in months, courts would halt trials and police cancel arrests.”
Calls for reform
The reforms build on recommendations by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, whose review found short sentences had “a limited deterrent effect” and failed to rehabilitate offenders.
Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, has also called for more powers for governors and tighter coordination across the justice system to tackle overcrowding, drug use and reoffending.
While Mahmood insists judges will retain the right to use short jail terms in rare cases, the shift marks a major change in criminal justice policy, balancing public safety with the urgent need to ease pressure on Britain’s jails.
