Home Secretary pledges 8,000 new prison places - putting public protection and the law-abiding majority first
20 Jul 2006
The new places are on top of 900 extra places already under construction which will take capacity across the prison estate to 80,400 by autumn 2007.
The prison building programme forms the backbone of a raft of measures published by Home Secretary John Reid as part of a detailed review of the criminal justice system.
The review sets out a clear timetable of action across a range of areas including a fresh focus on tackling violent and persistent offenders - putting public protection at the heart of the justice system. Other proposals include tough new measures to crackdown on anti-social behaviour, longer sentences for serious offenders and moves to encourage more clarity and honesty into sentencing.
In addition, the review examines the Human Rights Act to promote a common-sense balance between the rights of individuals and the rights of the public to be protected against harm.
Key proposals from the review
The full text of the review can be downloaded from the right hand side of this page. Key proposals in the review include:
Protecting the public from violent crime and prolific offenders:
-
8,000 new prison places;
-
a four-year maximum penalty for carrying a knife;
-
tougher sentences for violent offenders;
-
persistent offenders subject to restrictions on release from prison;
-
introduction of violent offender orders;
-
unanimous Parole Board decisions to release prisoners;
-
new tactics in dealing with offenders on drugs; and
-
a drive to return more foreign national prisoners to serve sentences in their home country.
Putting victims and communities first:
-
making offenders pay more to compensate their victims;
-
ensuring a victims' voice on the release of the most serious offenders;
-
clarifying that all criminal justice agencies must put public safety at the heart of their work;
-
ensuring the Human Rights Act is used properly in balancing individual rights against protecting the public; and
-
expanding existing support to victims and witnesses.
Building public confidence in sentencing:
-
ending automatic time off for guilty pleas;
-
abolishing discounts for offenders re-sentenced at appeal;
-
giving judges more discretion including a view to ending the automatic halving of tariffs for those given unlimited sentences;
-
tougher enforcement on offenders who breach licences and a presumption of custody for offenders who jump bail;
-
accelerating the return to custody of offenders who breach licences;
-
introduction of a national enforcement service by 2007/2008; and
-
consulting on new powers for the Probation Service to vary offenders' punishments.
Simple, speedy, summary justice:
-
live TV links from police station to court to speed up processing of low- level guilty pleas;
-
expanding use of Conditional Cautions so prosecutors can impose penalties (such as fixed fines or unpaid work) without the need to go to court;
-
bulk processing of regulatory offences such as failure to pay TV licence – freeing up magistrates' courts time for more serious offences; and
-
introducing judge-only trials in serious fraud cases.
Home Secretary John Reid said:
"The overriding and primary aim of this review is to ensure that the Criminal Justice System is geared at every stage to protecting the public and putting the interests of the law-abiding majority and the victim first.
"This Government has achieved a great deal in cutting crime and rebalancing our justice system in favour of the victim while coming down hard on offenders. We have invested to recruit record numbers of police and introduced a raft of new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and lawlessness. We have championed victims' rights, transformed our youth justice system and greatly toughened sentences for serious and dangerous offenders. But we can do more to rebalance the system further.
"The reforms and operational changes I have outlined today are the result of this thorough audit of the entire system to ensure we get this balance right. It looks not just at sentencing and giving victims a stronger voice in the court process but also at how we can work in a smarter way to cut crime – tackling anti-social behaviour swiftly and firmly, and focusing our efforts more effectively on the worst repeat offenders, and the most serious crime and criminals.
"Some of the policy changes I have announced will require more prison places which is why we will build 8,000 new prison places on top of the 900 already due to come on stream while keeping capacity under constant review.
"A number of these reforms are straightforward. Others will require consultation on how they can best be delivered. However, justice is a matter not just for the Home Office or the Government but for our whole society and our intention is to stimulate a wide-ranging public debate on the way forward for our justice system."