Responding to today’s announcement of a sentencing review by the Ministry of Justice, Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Magistrates’ Association, said:
“The Magistrates’ Association welcomes the announcement of this wide-ranging review, which will look at sentencing, punishment and rehabilitation, and aims to enable the criminal justice system to move from its current crisis state to a sustainable future.
“We are pleased that the review will consider if the sentencing framework should be amended to take into account women, young adult offenders and older offenders. We are also pleased that the review will look at non-custodial sentences, including community alternatives to prison. Short-term prison sentences are rarely effective in reducing reoffending, so we would support measures to reduce their use. However, there are two factors critical in their reduction: firstly, the expansion of the range and availability of community sentence options, and secondly, there must be increased resourcing for the probation service to advise magistrates and to manage offenders in the community.
“However, the fact remains that criminal justice has been underfunded for at least the last decade, so for this review to achieve its aims, it must be supported by a long-term, sustainable and considered investment in the whole criminal justice system, from prisons to the courts, probation and legal aid. With the budget announcement just over a week away, we hope that the government will find room in its spending plans for justice.”
