PM kills off controversial plans to abolish short prison sentences

THERESA May has killed off plans to abolish prison sentences of less than a year.

Justice Secretary David Gauke was due to publish a long-awaited green paper on sentencing reform next week.

It would have proposed replacing short jail terms with tougher community sentences, which Mr Gauke has argued helps rehabilitate criminals.

But in one of her last acts as Prime Minister, Mrs May has vetoed the move amid concerns about publishing such a radical policy paper in the middle of the leadership contest. One Whitehall source said ministers feared the proposals could have prompted a negative reaction from the two leadership candidates and as a result had been ‘dead at birth’.

In February, Mr Gauke argued that short sentences were ‘simply not working’ – pointing to sky-high reoffending rates among criminals imprisoned for less than six months.

And he insisted custodial terms would still be given to violent and sexual offenders. He argued that community penalties should be imposed more often, but with stringent conditions that offenders receive treatment for addictions or mental health issues in an attempt to break the cycle of crime.

‘For [a] society which incurs a heavy financial and social cost, prison simply isn’t working,’ he said.

But critics argued that the end of the ‘short sharp shock’ jail term would increase crime, and mean more offenders were out on the streets.

The move would have eased the pressure on the prison system in England and Wales, where drug use and violence are at record highs.

Mr Gauke’s proposal also raised concerns among senior judges.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett suggested abolishing short sentences could worsen crime rates, adding that judges had little faith in community sentences.