Report claims quick reforms after tragedies led to overcrowded prisons and strained justice system nearly to point of collapse.
Quick changes after tragedies made prisons overcrowded. David Gauke wrote a government report about this. He wants a “system reset”. He used to be a Justice Secretary. His review’s first part suggests community sentences. These could replace some short jail times. He chairs the Independent Sentencing Review.
He says they faced policy problems from many years. He claims the criminal justice system almost collapsed. Politicians raised sentences without thinking about the impact. He believes this fails victims.
A full analysis will come out in the spring. It will detail government system changes. The report says governments used “penal populism.” They seemingly wanted to look tough on crime.
Chris Philp disagreed with the report late last night. He believes prison is effective. He thinks Labour is soft on crime. Robert Jenrick also spoke out. Jenrick thinks foreign criminals should be deported. He wants more court capacity. He opposes abolishing short sentences.