Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that (a) violent and (b) repeat offenders receive longer sentences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales.
It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any guidelines that may be laid down by the Sentencing Council or the Court of Appeal. The sentence imposed on an offender should reflect the crime they have committed and be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence. Custody should only be imposed if the offence is so serious that no other sentence can be justified.
The Government has launched an independent review of sentencing. The Review will be guided by three principles. Firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public – there must always be space in prison for the most dangerous offenders. Secondly, sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime, cutting crime by reducing reoffending. Thirdly, we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison. The Review will report in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) increase prison capacity and (b) improve rehabilitation services for offenders.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 22 October, the Lord Chancellor announced the further steps the Government will take to manage prison capacity including launching an independent review of sentencing to ensure that we are never again in a position where we have more prisoners than we have space in our prisons.
We are also committed to creating 14,000 additional prison places and will set out a ten-year prison capacity strategy later this year, ensuring we have a sustainable pipeline of prison places over the next decade to allow us to effectively drive down reoffending.
This Government will act to improve rehabilitation services for offenders by giving offenders leaving prison the tools to move away from crime. This will include improving prisoners access to purposeful activity such as education, delivering pre-release plans for all those leaving custody; and ensuring that ex-offenders leave prison with a job and the skills needed to lead law abiding lives.