The failure of revolving door community sentencing
Research from the Centre for Crime Prevention reveals that the current revolving door system of community sentences is failing to protect the public, and is producing higher reoffending rates than all but the shortest prison sentences.
The Sentencing Gap: punishment for serious, repeat offenders
17 January 2013
The Centre for Crime Prevention can reveal that since the financial crisis began, the courts have failed to lock up an increasing number of serious, repeat offenders. 64.9% of those convicted of serious offences who already had more than 10 previous convictions or cautions avoided prison in 2011/12 – 91,032 offenders. This is higher than the total prison population. Tens of thousands of repeat offenders are instead receiving fines, community service or a fully suspended sentence for crimes such as violence against the person, theft and sexual offences.
21 January 2013
Data from Freedom of Information requests reveals that almost 8,000 criminals sent to prison in 2011/12 had previously been given 11 or more community sentences - and 407 were given 21 or more. More than three quarters of those sent to prison had previously been given at least one community sentence, and more than half of all offenders had previously been given at least one community sentence.
The key findings of the report are:
§ 81,594 (76%) of the 107,688 criminals sent to prison in 2011/12 had previously been given at least one community sentence before later committing the offences that resulted in a prison term. Of these offenders:
· 68,485 (64%) were given 2 or more community sentences;
· 37,516 (35%) were given 5 or more;
· 7,783 were given 11 or more;
· 1,784 were given 16 or more; and
· 407 were given 21 or more community sentences
§ 221,405 (54%) of the 407,838 criminals convicted of a criminal offence in 2011/12 had previously been given at least one community sentence
· 120,546 (30%) were given 3 or more;
· 91,321 (22%) were given 4 or more; and
· 51,830 (13%) were given 6 or more community sentences
§ Those sentenced to lengthier prison sentences tend to be the most hardened criminals. Even so, the longer the prison sentence, the lower the reconviction rate – with all but the shortest prison sentences having lower reoffending rates than community sentences. The one year reoffending rate is:
· 35.6% for all adults given a community sentence – resulting in 123,675 offences
· 64.1% for adults on a community sentence who were given Supervision and Drug Rehabilitation - resulting in 16,644 offences
· 30.7% for adults sentenced to between 4 to 10 years in prison (ie serving at least two to five years) – with the prisoner of course unable to commit any offences outside prison while held inside
· 15.0% for adults sentenced to more than 10 years (ie serving at least five years) – with prisoners committing no offences outside prison while they remain inside
· 4.7% for adults serving indeterminate and life sentences – with prisoners committing no offences outside prison while they remain inside
§ 90,029 community sentences were given to criminals guilty of more serious indictable offences – and fewer than 1 in 8 (12.4%) of those were for a first offence
· 66.4% went to those with 3 or more previous convictions
· 31.0% went to those with 11 or more previous convictions
· 23.2% went to those with 15 or more previous convictions
§ The areas of England and Wales with the highest one year reconviction rates by adults given community sentences or a suspended sentence are:
1
|
Durham Tees Valley
|
44.1%
|
2
|
Northumbria
|
43.2%
|
3
|
Lancashire
|
39.0%
|
4
|
York and North Yorkshire
|
37.8%
|
5
|
West Mercia
|
37.2%
|
6
|
Nottinghamshire
|
36.9%
|
7
|
Cumbria
|
36.7%
|
8
|
Wales
|
36.1%
|
9
|
Hampshire
|
35.6%
|
10
|
Norfolk and Suffolk
|
35.6%
|
§ The areas with the greatest number of reoffences by adults given community sentences or a suspended sentence are:
1
|
London
|
18,097 reoffences
|
2
|
Wales
|
11,592
|
3
|
Greater Manchester
|
10,732
|
4
|
Staffordshire and West Midlands
|
9,454
|
5
|
West Yorkshire
|
8,277
|
6
|
Northumbria
|
7,957
|
7
|
Durham Tees Valley
|
7,494
|
8
|
Lancashire
|
6,416
|
9
|
Hampshire
|
5,541
|
10
|
Surrey and Sussex
|
5,228
|
The Sentencing Gap: punishment for serious, repeat offenders
17 January 2013
The Centre for Crime Prevention can reveal that since the financial crisis began, the courts have failed to lock up an increasing number of serious, repeat offenders. 64.9% of those convicted of serious offences who already had more than 10 previous convictions or cautions avoided prison in 2011/12 – 91,032 offenders. This is higher than the total prison population. Tens of thousands of repeat offenders are instead receiving fines, community service or a fully suspended sentence for crimes such as violence against the person, theft and sexual offences.
The key findings of the report are:
- In 2011/12, 68,100 received a penalty other than prison for a serious offence despite 15 or more previous convictions or cautions.
- This compares to 49,729 in 2006/07 – a 38% increase.
- A total of 108,119 serious offenders had 15 or more previous convictions/cautions, meaning 62.9% of them avoided prison
- The number of serious offenders who avoided prison despite more than 10 previous convictions/cautions rose from 71,301 in 2006/07 to 91,032 in 2011/12.
- This is higher than the total prison population of 83,825 and represents a 27% increase.
- A total of 140,168 serious offenders had more than 10 previous convictions/cautions, meaning 64.9% of them avoided prison.
- The number of fully suspended sentences increased 31-fold for those with 15 or more previous convictions/cautions in the decade since 2001/02, from 270 to 8,284.
- 11,810 serious offenders were discharged in 2011/12 although they had 15 or more previous convictions/cautions - a 30% rise from 9,086 in 2006/07. This is in spite of statute laying down that courts may discharge offenders only in those cases where “it is inexpedient to inflict punishment”.
- 20,879 received a community sentence for a serious offence after 15 or more previous convictions/cautions - a 47% rise from 14,236 in 2006/07.
- 16,111 received a fine for a serious offence after 15 or more previous convictions/cautions - a 44% rise from 11,226 in 2006/07.
- Of the minority who did go to prison for a serious offence in 2011/12, the average sentence was only 1 year 5 months.
| Visible and available policing: the most and least efficient forces 1 January 2013  Nonetheless, less than 12 per cent of police officers and Police Community Support Officers’ (PCSO) time is “visible and available” to the public. Because of this it effectively costs taxpayers nearly £800,000 for every constant ‘bobby on the beat’. A key priority for Police Chiefs and newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners must be to focus resources on frontline policing. The report has a full breakdown of availability and expenditure by police force. Read the full report at the TaxPayers' Alliance web site. Key findings:
Outside London, the police forces with the highest cost per visible and available officer/PCSO are:
The police forces with the lowest cost per visible and available officer/PCSO are:
The report was covered in The Sun on Sunday, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and 13 local and online publications. |