Ministers consider calling time on short-term sentences

The MoJ is considering puttin an end to prison sentences 12 months or less in England and Wales.

Ministers argue that short jail terms are less effective at cutting reoffending than community penalties, and if scapped, could free up thousands of places in over crowded prisons.

Responding to the news, national chair, Katie Lomas, said: "Napo members welcome this announcement as we have long campaigned for the use of community alternatives to short custodial sentences.

"Short custodial sentences achieve little in terms of rehabilitation but certainly achieve much in de-stabilising someone’s life when they lose their job, home and family and community ties.

"Prior to 2014 community sentences were increasingly being used as an alternative to short-term custody due to the work being done by the former Probation Trusts. Since Transforming Rehabilitation abolished those Probation Trusts and privatised a large part of Probation the Sentencers have lost confidence in the ability of those private companies to deliver community sentences properly and we have seen a rise in short sentences and a reduction in community sentences.

The only way to truly reduce the use of prison for non-violent offending is to restore Probation to it’s proper unified status as a professional public body delivering quality services not private profit"