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22/02/2008
Straw Wants Fewer Criminals Sent To Jail
Justice Secretary Jack Straw has urged magistrates to reduce the number of criminals they send to jail, in a fresh bid to ease overcrowding.
Mr Straw pointed them towards non-custodial sentences with a better record in preventing reoffending, as numbers exceeded the projection for the end of next month.
The prison population now stands at over 82,000, and is just 21 short of the system's official capacity after an influx of 2,300 criminals since the new year.
Straw said: "We are now running higher than forecast. The projected population at the end of March was due to be 81,731. We are not at the end of March and we are already 300 above it. The population dipped over Christmas but it has risen more than 2,000 since then.
"We have 350 magistrates courts in England and Wales. If each one ends up sentencing one more extra prisoner a week to jail then we have got the increase we face.
"There are effective alternatives in terms of non-custodial penalties which actually have a better record in terms of preventing reoffending than short prison sentences. The probation service has become more effective."
(CD)
Mr Straw pointed them towards non-custodial sentences with a better record in preventing reoffending, as numbers exceeded the projection for the end of next month.
The prison population now stands at over 82,000, and is just 21 short of the system's official capacity after an influx of 2,300 criminals since the new year.
Straw said: "We are now running higher than forecast. The projected population at the end of March was due to be 81,731. We are not at the end of March and we are already 300 above it. The population dipped over Christmas but it has risen more than 2,000 since then.
"We have 350 magistrates courts in England and Wales. If each one ends up sentencing one more extra prisoner a week to jail then we have got the increase we face.
"There are effective alternatives in terms of non-custodial penalties which actually have a better record in terms of preventing reoffending than short prison sentences. The probation service has become more effective."
(CD)
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