Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Non-custodial Sentences: Public Confidence

Tuesday 21 November 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Desmond Swayne asked about increasing public confidence in non-custodial sentences.
  • Desmond Swayne emphasized the importance of using the latest monitoring technology for non-custodial sentences.
  • Tony Lloyd questioned the effectiveness of short prison sentences and suggested alternative approaches like women's centres for rehabilitation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Desmond Swayne Con New Forest West
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is concerned about public perception and effectiveness of community sentences. He wants to know if the government has measures in place to improve these perceptions.

Question

Whether he is taking steps to increase levels of public confidence in non-custodial sentences.

Answer from Alex Chalk

To earn public confidence, non-custodial sentences must self-evidently be punitive, so that the British people can see that offenders are being punished for their crimes. They must also be enforceable, so that judges and magistrates can be confident that those who step out of line risk being brought back before the court and sentenced to immediate custody. That is why we are doubling the number of the latest GPS tags available to the court, so that offenders can be strictly monitored, and we have increased funding for the probation service by £155 million a year.

Answered
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Q2 Desmond Swayne Con New Forest West
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is interested in leveraging advanced technology to enhance the effectiveness and enforcement of non-custodial sentences.

Question

It is essential that every advantage be had from the latest monitoring technology, isn't it?

Answer from Alex Chalk

Pithy and perfect—my right hon. Friend is absolutely right. Under the old technology, all that the so-called radio frequency tags could tell the probation service was whether that individual had left the premises to which he had been bailed or curfewed. The modern GPS tags are far more effective, because they can indicate where that person has gone, keeping them under a tight rein. We have additional tags, including alcohol monitoring tags to allow the courts and probation services also to monitor alcohol where that is the root cause of the offending.

Answered
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Q3 Tony Lloyd Lab
Justice & Courts Mental Health
Context

The MP is questioning the efficacy of short prison sentences compared to community-based interventions, especially focusing on gender-specific approaches.

Question

Is the evidence not clear that short prison sentences do not work, and that women's centres, which deal with drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues and so on, can be effective? It would make a lot of sense to roll that out for the male population—it is cheaper and it is better.

Answer from Alex Chalk

I am delighted to hear that from the hon. Gentleman. We have to follow the evidence, which shows that short sentences of immediate custody lead to a higher reoffending rate than those where the sentence is suspended, albeit on tight conditions, which might include curfew, an unpaid work order and potentially a rehabilitation requirement. Why? Because if the offender fails to comply, the probation service can find them in breach and bring them back before the court, where they will then likely hear the clang of the prison gate. We will follow the evidence. We make no apology for using our custodial estate to lock up the most dangerous offenders for longer and take them out of circulation. But protecting the public also means ensuring that those who would otherwise reoffend get off the conveyor belt of crime.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The evidence supporting alternative sentencing methods over short prison sentences for both genders was not directly addressed, though the answerer acknowledged following evidence and discussed higher reoffending rates with immediate custody.

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