Reoffending rates show “revolving door” community sentences not working, critics say

Get the full story here: Northern Echo, 20 February 2013, link.

 

THE use of “revolving door” community sentences has been branded a failure after new figures placed the region at the top of the reoffending league table.

According to campaign group Centre for Crime Prevention, 4,842 adults in the North-East and North Yorkshire committed 17,734 offences in 2011/12 within a year of receiving a community or suspended sentence. […]

Peter Cuthbertson, author of the report and director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: “These figures prove that letting thousands of criminals off with one community sentence after another is failing miserably at protecting the public.

“Some of the worst figures are for the North-East and Yorkshire, suggesting this is where greater use of prison for serious offenders would be most effective.”

Political campaigner Mr Cuthbertson, who is originally from Darlington, added: “Community sentences fail to protect the public and fail to stop reoffending. Prison works.” […]

Get the full story here: Northern Echo, 20 February 2013, link.