faith in politics 2010
criminal justice
PLEASE NOTE: This page was for the 2010 general Election
See http://churcheselection.org.uk/ for the 2015 General Election
Background
- Since the last General Election the prison population has continued to rise from 75,145 in 2004 to 84,154 in August 2009: a record high. Numbers are projected to reach 96,000 in 2014. In 2008 the number of people in prison exceeded the prison services' own measure of operational capacity, and by mid-2009 82 of the 140 prisons in England and Wales were overcrowded. An increased use of remand, short prison sentences and indeterminate sentences have all contributed to this situation.
- It costs on average £40,992 a year to keep a person in prison in England and Wales and £459 to keep a person in a police cell overnight.
- Between 160,000-180,000 children are estimated to have had a parent sent to prison in 2009: more than will experience the divorce of their parents. Reoffending rates also continue to rise with nearly half the adults released from prison reconvicted within a year (47%).
- Reoffending rates for community sentences after a year are lower at 37%.
- Whilst the new National Offender Management Service has focused on reducing reoffending, the reality for the majority of released prisoners is that they leave with a £46 discharge grant and little or no state support for resettlement or rehabilitation.
- Recent independent reports on the situation of particularly vulnerable people within the criminal justice system contain recommendations on dealing more humanely and effectively with, for example, women in prison (Corston Report, 2008), and mentally ill offenders and those with learning disabilities (Bradley Report, 2009).
- Media coverage tends to focus on a punitive approach to offenders and what it sees as failures in the criminal justice system to be sufficiently rigorous. Opinion surveys, however, tend to suggest that the public is less punitive and more understanding than often appears, agreeing that offenders with a drug habit and mental illness need, most of all, to be helped.
Issues
To be truly effective, criminal justice policy should not be isolated from other social policies such as education, training, health, housing and employment. However, within this breadth of debate, central themes to consider include:
- Prisons and community punishments - To manage prison overcrowding and the growing prison population, up to 20,000 new prison places may be built in the next five years. Political parties are proposing reform of community sentencing, looking in particular at how to make punishments more visible. There are suggestions to toughen up sentencing, such as removing the possibility of parole before a minimum term has been served in jail. There are also plans to improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation schemes and drug, alcohol and mental health treatment.
- Effective rehabilitation - Without effective rehabilitation offenders remain at higher risk of reoffending, particularly if they need drug, alcohol and mental health treatment. Most political parties accept that effective rehabilitation, improved education and training for offenders in prison are key to reducing reoffending.
- Restorative justice - Restorative justice is an approach that emphasises restoring the well-being of the victim and the community, whilst helping offenders take responsibility for what they have done and reducing the likelihood of reoffending. Restorative justice has divided political opinion, with some parties supporting the concept, perhaps through various community justice initiatives and greater involvement of volunteers in criminal justice services. Other parties do not support the idea.
Through the Churches' Criminal Justice Forum, Churches have lobbied the government on such issues as the importance of family ties and the value of restorative approaches to justice. Current emphases are on meeting the needs of particularly vulnerable people in the criminal justice system, such as children and youngsters in custody and people with mental illness and learning disabilities, the reduced use of imprisonment, and more effective rehabilitation.
Questions
- How would you address the needs of those with mental illness, learning disabilities, and alcohol or other drug dependencies within the criminal justice system?
- What do you see as the key elements of effective rehabilitation to restore offenders to the community and reduce the likelihood of reoffending?
- Do you support further development of restorative justice within the criminal justice system? Why, or why not?
- What are the greatest needs of victims of crime?
- What role does the wider community (including faith communities) have to play in criminal justice matters and how would you seek to promote community engagement?
Further information
Churches' Criminal Justice Forum
Contact: Email 
Website 
Please note: the views and analysis outlined in this paper are those of the author alone and do not constitute a statement of policy on the part of the organisation the author belongs to.
Faith in Politics: Acknowledgement and thanks
