Ministers will introduce legislation to abolish most custodial sentences under 12 months, strengthen community punishments, and create an earned progression system allowing early release for some fixed-term prisoners. The earned progression model will permit some offenders, including certain violent offenders, to qualify for early release after serving between one-third and one-half of their sentence, while excluding the most dangerous and terror-related offenders. The reforms follow recommendations from a spring review and aim to reduce reoffending and ease prison overcrowding. Courts will gain expanded powers to impose fines, seize assets, and enforce bans such as travel or driving restrictions as alternatives to short sentences.
Ministers will legislate next month to abolish most short prison sentences, toughen up community punishments and introduce a Texas-inspired system whereby inmates can earn early release as part of an attempt to avert another prison crisis. Government sources said the legislation, which will bring about the biggest shake-up in sentencing laws in England and Wales for three decades, would be introduced once MPs had returned to the Commons in September.
The central change will be the introduction of an incentive scheme or earned progression model for prisoners serving fixed-term sentences to earn early release with good behaviour. Criminals, including some violent ones, will be able earn early release after serving between a third and half of their sentence, though the most dangerous criminals and those convicted of terror-related offences will be excluded.
The bill will also end short sentences of less than 12 months, barring exceptional circumstances, with ministers arguing that these are counterproductive and a driver of more crime. The latest data released by the Ministry of Justice last month suggested that for the prison cohort of July to September 2023, 62% of inmates released after serving sentences of less than 12 months went on to reoffend.
Collection
[
|
...
]