“Prison Works”... or does it?

...so said Michael Howard at the Tory conference all those years ago. Apparently he was untroubled by the evidence! It’s interesting that the current Justice Secretary thinks differently - nothing to do with the current cost-cutting priorities of course. In any event, Ken Clarke’s view that radical reform of the penal system is needed will doubtless come as a relief to prison reform campaigners, the left, and those who consider prison an expensive way of making offenders worse.

I love his comments on Blunkett and Reid - “a copy of the Daily Mail in one hand and a chequebook in the other”!! Certainly a great discussion point for sentencing - is Mr Clarke right to seek to reduce the use of short sentences and prioritise community service? Can we do this and still protect the public? Can we cut the Justice Department budget by 25% and still deliver rehabilitation?

New MoJ Site [24 Jan 2012]
Jury trial under threat…again! [17 Jan 2012]
R v Dobson & Norris [4 Jan 2012]
Sentencing Stats [28 Oct 2011]
Sentencing - LIVE! [5 Sep 2011]
Judges reading the Riot Act [19 Aug 2011]
Sentencing Reform Podcast [8 Jul 2011]
Poor set to suffer most from legal aid cuts [28 Jun 2011]
Government set to axe sentencing reforms? [8 Jun 2011]
Rehab, not revenge… [19 Apr 2011]
Deterrence [26 Jan 2011]
Judge for Yourself [23 Jan 2011]
Breaking the Cycle of reoffending [20 Jan 2011]
Sentencing Green Paper [8 Dec 2010]
A “rehabilitation revolution” [26 Jul 2010]
The parole board [20 Jul 2010]
Guardian Law [13 May 2010]
“I feel as if they have ripped out my heart” - victim’s justice? [17 Mar 2010]
You Be The Judge [10 Mar 2010]
The Angola 3 [10 Mar 2010]
Community Payback - Video clip and worksheet [15 Feb 2010]
Edlington, the age of criminal responsibility and youth sentencing [24 Jan 2010]
Great story for English Legal System revision generally… [7 Dec 2009]
New Youth Justice Site [4 Dec 2009]