Cycle of crime calls for prison reforms

PRISON overcrowding is a major issue blighting the justice system in Britain. The prevailing sentiment amongst the electorate is that the country is too soft on crime. As a result, politicians won’t want to risk coming across as a soft touch, especially during an election year.

However, there is another, more holistic, way of tackling the issue. Central to this should be reducing re-offending.

There are far too many stories of people being caught up in a cycle of crime. They spend large parts of their lives in and out of prison.

It isn’t simply a case of just building more prisons. Yes, criminals need to be punished but there is a clear case for focusing more on rehabilitation and more importantly keeping young people away from a life of crime.

If the Government wants to see what a better future could look like then it need only look at Tempus Novo, a Yorkshire-based charity that has a 95 per cent success rate of placing ex-offenders in longterm jobs. Jobs that then provide stability to people who often come from chaotic backgrounds.

The charity is calling on the Government for £1m of funding to tackle prison overcrowding. It would fund 22 case workers, each supporting 50 ex-offenders into employment – saving taxpayers £25.63m, the charity says.

Breaking the cycle of crime is one thing. The other is ensuring people don’t fall into the world of crime in the first place. For that to be the case, people need access to community assets. Yet up and down the country leisure centres are at risk of closure due to funding pressures on councils.