Prison reform must be matched by getting a grip on the revolving door of crisis and crime, says leading charity
Revolving Doors Agency welcomes the Secretary of State’s ambition to improve safety and rehabilitation in prisons. But warns that without also reducing numbers of ineffective short prison sentences and providing better support for people on release from prison, any change will be limited.
Alongside reform inside the prison walls, there are vast opportunities to make a positive difference much earlier in the journey, for example when people come into contact with the police or when they first go to court. We welcome initiatives such as Liaison and Diversion and Street Triage that lead to more appropriate support and more appropriate justice for vulnerable people including those with learning disabilities or mental health conditions.
As the recent Probation Inspectorate report noted, the vast majority of people serving short prison sentences experience multiple and complex needs. This can often include mental health problems, drug and/or alcohol misuse, homelessness, learning difficulties, physical health problems, poor relationships with family, poverty and debt. Each problem exacerbates the others, and without effective support people experience a downward spiral that can bring them into repeat contact with the criminal justice system.
Revolving Doors calls on the government to reconsider safe and productive means by which people facing multiple and complex needs can serve their sentence in the community, rather than an ineffective short prison sentence.
Vicki Cardwell, Revolving Doors Director of Policy, said:
“Liz Truss is right to identify that lower prison officer numbers have undermined safety and rehabilitation in prisons but any focus on what happens inside prison must be matched by getting a grip on the revolving door of crisis and crime. Many people with mental health problems and other vulnerabilities could be treated more effectively in the community. And there is an urgent need to address through the gate services which are failing to end the revolving door of crisis and crime”
