Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of incentivising people serving non-violent custodial sentences to undertake more community service work.

Prisoners serving non-violent custodial sentences currently can access community service work through Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) during the custodial element of their sentence. Prisoners are eligible to be considered for ROTL once they have served at least half of the custodial element of their sentence, provided they are within two years of release, or once they transfer to an open prison.

ROTL is an important rehabilitation tool which allows prisoners to participate in activities in the community which have been identified as serving a particular purpose in meeting their individual resettlement objectives. Suitable, risk assessed prisoners may be allowed out during the day to, for example: work, attend college, attend an interview or maintain/re-establish links with their family. This helps them develop responsibility and gain valuable skills so that they can turn their lives around upon leaving prison.