A Catholic approach to sentencing reform which places victims at the heart of the criminal justice system while seeking a safer, healthier, and more rehabilitative prison estate.
Across England and Wales prisons are struggling to cope. They are characterised by poor living conditions, high levels of violence and self-harm, widespread use of psychoactive drugs, and prisoners being left in their cells for up to 22 hours a day. These conditions are not only undignified but also present a huge obstacle for offenders seeking to turn their lives around. If there is no improvement, rates of reoffending will inevitably remain high, to the detriment of our whole society.
There have been many welcome and insightful reports in recent years calling for reforms, from Dame Sally Coates’ review of education to Lord Farmer’s findings about the importance of family ties. The Government has been receptive to calls for change. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the impact of these reforms will remain limited while the prison population continues to grow and resources continue to be reduced.
Despite evidence that community sentences are more effective, many people who have committed nonviolent crimes are still sent to custody for short sentences that only serve to disrupt their lives. Meanwhile over the last decade, the average lengths of medium-to-long term prison sentences for the same offences have actually increased leaving more people locked up for longer.
All this has created an unsustainable prison population in a custodial estate which cannot possibly provide a safe, decent or rehabilitative environment. Put simply we are locking up far too many people than we can reasonably care for or help to turn their lives around.
Drawing upon the legal, political, and academic insight of a range of experts, as well as input from those who have worked in the prison service, this report sets out some meaningful ways in which sentencing policy can be reformed in England and Wales. The report also recognises the role that the Catholic Church itself must play in changing public attitudes around offenders and the use of prison.
Bishop Richard Moth
Liaison Bishop for Prisons
A Catholic approach to sentencing reform which places victims at the heart of the criminal justice system while seeking a safer, healthier, and more rehabilitative prison estate.
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