The UK government is considering a major sentencing overhaul, potentially moving away from automatic prisoner releases towards a system where inmates earn freedom via good behaviour credits. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, inspired by similar successful programs in Texas, advocates for a balanced incentivization strategy. Currently, a large percentage of prisoners are automatically released, which may change if such a scheme is implemented. The aim is to reduce overcrowding while promoting positive rehabilitation through work, education, and training opportunities.
If you're going to think about incentivised behaviour, obviously it's a carrot and a stick, isn't it? So you can't then leave unchanged the rest of your current sentencing framework on automatic releases.
The benefit of having a review, which means we can take the best learning from the law and read across to our system because our arrangements are different.
Texas has implemented good behaviour credit schemes that allow inmates to reduce their sentences significantly, an approach that England and Wales might consider.
We need to be open to alternative constructions of sentences to incentivise positive inmate behaviour and manage prison populations more effectively.
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