Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Knight Excerpts

Tuesday 12th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

My hon. Friend raises a very important point. There is huge potential in this area, but we are already taking steps through telehealth and virtual consultations. We have in-cell telephony, which can be used in these circumstances. Digital hub services also exist, and the prison virtual learning environment includes a health application, so we have a virtual campus that can help people to address addiction issues. I think that there is much more potential in this area in the future.

[Julian Knight (Solihull) (Con)]

19. What the Government’s policy is on the use of imprisonment for offenders.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

20. What the Government’s policy is on the use of imprisonment for offenders.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr David Gauke)]

Under this Government, the most serious offenders are more likely to go to prison and for longer, helping to protect the public and keep communities safe. Prison will be the right place for some offenders, but equally there is evidence that it does not work in rehabilitating others. I want to move the debate on from the old false choice between soft justice versus hard justice, and instead ensure we are focused on delivering smart justice. We need to think more imaginatively about different and more modern forms of punishment in the community.

[Julian Knight]

I support the broad thrust of ensuring that sentences work, particularly for female offenders. Does the Secretary of State agree that at the same time we should look at early release and whether it could be recalibrated to improve prison discipline?

[Mr Gauke]

Incentives in the prison system are important to achieving good behaviour. Early release does help offenders to successfully make the transition from custody to living crime-free lives in the community. An additional early release scheme for certain offenders, home detention curfew, further helps to manage that transition and reduce future offending.