- New laws end automatic release for badly
behaved offenders and strengthen community
punishment
- Reforms supported by plans to rebuild the probation service,
with investment increasing by up to £700 million over next few
years
- Part of the government's plan for change to keep dangerous
offenders locked up, cut reoffending and protect the public
Legislation that will keep dangerous criminals locked up, end the
cycle of less serious offenders going in and out of prison and
end the crisis in our prisons has become law today.
The Sentencing Act, which has now received Royal Assent, will
grip the prison crisis on the brink of collapse which this
government inherited. It will make sure future governments always
has the prison places needed to keep people safe, with the most
dangerous offenders locked up and tough community restrictions
meaning those released from prison enter a period
of supervision tailored to their risk and the type of
crime they committed. This includes the biggest
ever expansion in tagging and the use of restriction zones to
better protect victims.
The most serious offenders - those on life sentences, IPP,
and extended determinate sentences - will not
be released any earlier than they are now.
Alongside this, the probation budget will be increased by up to
£700 million over the next three
years to bolster community justice, including the
probation service's resource and ability to tag offenders.
The government is also investing in new
technology to reduce admin so staff can focus on work that
reduces reoffending.
Commenting on Royal
Assent, Sentencing Minister said:
“This government inherited a prison
system bursting at the seams and at breaking point –
risking the total breakdown of law and order in this
country.
“Urgent, bold action was needed to keep the public safe. These
reforms will make sure prisons never run out of space again and
dangerous offenders are kept off our streets, while putting
victims first with much tougher punishments for offenders outside
jail.
“We are already delivering the biggest prison expansion since the
Victorian era, but the reality is we cannot just build our way
out of the chaos – it must go hand in hand with radical reform to
avoid another ticking timebomb.”
The measures in the Sentencing Act will not take
effect immediately, giving the probation service and victims
support groups the time needed to prepare for the
changes coming in. Implementation will be phased over
the next two years, with changes to how long offenders stay in
prison when they are recalled expected to begin in the coming
months, and the earned release model to be rolled out in the
Autumn.
The Sentencing Act follows the Independent Sentencing Review led
by , published in May.
Key reforms in the Act include:
- A new “earned progression model” for prisoners serving
standard determinate sentences that will see prisoners
who behave badly spend longer behind
bars.
- Tougher community punishments such as new
powers for judges to bar criminals from pubs, concerts
and sports matches, curtailing offenders' freedoms as punishment,
financial penalties that force offenders to pay back for their
crimes or unpaid work orders that force offenders to
give back to society.
- New “restriction zones” to restrict offenders to a
certain area, allowing victims to travel without fear of seeing
them.
- A judicial finding of domestic abuse in sentencing which
will allow criminal justice agencies to identify domestic
abusers, ensure they are better monitored, and the right
measures are in place to protect victims.
