Prison Works!

I wrote an article on this subject some time ago. Now research has shown that recidivism rates for those sentenced to 3 or 4 years in prison is significantly less than those sentenced to one or 2 years. There may be many reasons for this. I suspect that one of them is that those given short sentences are rarely engaged in any diversionary work in prison. Another is that a year or two means 4-12 months actual porridge. 3-4 years means 12 to 24 months which is a long time to reflect.

I reiterate what I said in my previous post. I am against throwing offenders in jail and throwing away they key. There needs to be significant investment in education and workplace training in prisons. Early release should depend on effort and progress.

I wonder if this research will have any effect on Kenneth Clarke's rather liberal view of sending fewer people to prison in favour of community penalties? Probably not.