To think prison reform wasn't the top of most voters agenda?

[malificent7]

I get it is important due to overcrowding but I'm a bit surprised this is one of the first topics in the headlines.
I am all for youth hubs to target knife crime....excellent idea but releasing lots of prisoners who apparently shouldn't be there will give Reform lots of ammunition what do you think?

Do you think that the best way to reduce crime is to look at the causes of crime and try to prevent people going that way?

Do you think that if you are going to punish people who commit crime, you need an effective punishment and also one that helps people who have committed not to commit it again?

People want crime reduced. That will help all victims. Current and future.

Some things are never going to be top of any voter's agenda.

There are things like the court service which is also creaking badly, and investment in very long term projects that won't be finished by the time of the next election. Short-termism has often dogged policy making but it's critical that we make long term investment in sea defences, the military, infrastructure etc.

That's never going to be a popular issue that turns an election. So the problem is actually....voters. People need to look beyond their own little bubble.

"Left-wingers don't care about strong families" - what does that even mean @Northernnature ?

And what about whataboutism??

Seriously this is fantastic news, someone with real insight who has a proven track record is going to be making a real difference

An effective system is one which gives people living in areas of poverty and deprivation choices in order to avoid a life of crime in the first place - particularly for children - and which doesn’t write off those with criminal convictions from ever being able to contribute to society again.

Not one which ignores the evidence that giving prison sentences for crimes at the minor end of the scale is one of the single biggest factors in that person going on to reoffend, thus creating even more victims who might not have otherwise found themselves in that position under a joined-up, holistic system which sees the value in things like Sure Start schemes, plentiful social housing, rehabilitation outside the prison walls etc.

I completely agree that short prison sentences are part of the problem. Which is why I would argue for much longer sentences, particularly for offences like knife crime. This would keep the public safer for longer and provide far stronger deterrence against people carrying & using knives.

Honestly it should have been on everyone's agenda. Tories were letting people out and probation officers loosing violent criminals on their watch is not something most people feel safe with.

I'm glad they are doing it because it wasn't high in their manifesto but they've inherited a problem and are fixing it, not hiding it, which is a breath of fresh air after the last lot!

I work in the prison arena. Significant reform is desperately needed. The prisons are full, to the point we're about to go to "one in, one out" rules.

Ths situation is catastrophic. It's been headline news for months, but no one has been listening unless they are directly affected by it.

Violence is through the roof, staff injuries are getting exponentially worse, recruitment and retention is in crisis, we have unstable and heavily restricted regimes which increases self harm and violence still further - it's becoming increasingly dangerous.

Timpson is a very welcome face in the new appointment - we need to do something radical and change the whole system.

You know they (like the Tories last week) are releasing prisoners near the end of sentences for non violent crime because there's no space to put new violent criminals if they are given prison sentences, not because they are 'bleeding heart liberals' surely?
And in any case, prison doesn't really work for those given short sentences. There's lots of evidence it leads to higher reoffending rates because people lose their jobs and houses. If you are a not-bleeding- heart not-liberal I'd have thought you would have been all for it.

I'm very heartened to read the sensible responses to this short-sighted OP.

Anyone released from prison will be released under supervision. The alternative to freeing up prison places held by low-risk prisoners is delaying putting high-risk criminals in prison.

Th UK already imprisons many more people than almost all other European countries, and yet we do not invest well in prisons or their staff. It absolutely is a priority.

What about them? They’ll continue, of course, no one has said they won’t so far as I’m aware? Timpsons are fantastic in their work with offenders, real trailblazers, but they’re far from the only third sector entity working with prisoners.

Perhaps if fewer of those people who would benefit more from alternative interventions outside prison are sentenced to custody, there might actually be more time for prison staff to deliver rehabilitative work, instead of having no capacity to do much more than lock and unlock doors all shift.

Yes of course, but if its something the left don't want to hear they just discount it. Eg it has been proven that most criminals don't have a father at home. So the logical thing would be to go back to accentuate men's role and encourage them to take responsibility whilst providing well paid jobs for the working class. But the left think it is better to keep people on benefits and disincentivise marriage and have encourage mass immigration to keep the workers wages down or make it more economic to be on benefits which is also linked to crime. The Tories have also done this because they don't care about working class people but the left says they care but don't really.

I was surprised by the announcement, but pleasantly. This is an area where Keir has a lot of expertise. I think letting non violent prisoners out earlier is a good way to free up spaces for more serious offenders in the short term, so I'm glad he is continuing the policy and I'm delighted he has appointed Timpson as we really need much greater focus on this generally to encourage petty offenders away from crime. Dealing with the root causes, such as poverty, is only one aspect and targeting support at individuals is something I've always thought there should be more of, rather than letting teens and young men keep messing up so early in life.

It seems as though most of the ministers are hitting the ground running. The advantage of the election results being predictable, I imagine.

There are a lot of really important issues that need sorting, that aren't as obvious to the electorate as the issues they see every day, like the NHS and education. That doesn't mean that those less visible areas aren't a priority. And the prison service definitely is.

They're happening. A huge new prison has opened in Northamptonshire with its entire remit focused on rehabilitation. It's the first of its kind, and I really hope it's successful.

But the money and the staff need to be there for these projects. And like all other areas, there isn't enough of either.

James Timpson is an inspired choice - he has years of experience and knowledge to bring to the role. He also champions a very different approach - and we clearly need a radical shift in how we tackle prisons given the crisis they are in.

Well, if the choice is to let John out early from his non payment of council tax sentence, so we can put Paul in his cell because he’s raped someone, that’s fine by me.

If we don’t take action, there will be nowhere to put Rapist Paul…

The appointment of Timpson is perfect, prison should be is a last resort. My company was looking at doing work in a similar vein to Timpsons, I hope they look at it again.

We already have, given some of the pathetic sentencing given out by the courts. More prisons need to be built and more money invested in prison staff. They need to get a grip on the drugs problem in prisons paeodos and murderers should never be released into society

So you agree that it's better to reduce the ways into crime in the first place?

Improved education
Tackling poverty
Better jobs
A better start in life

They don’t have a huge mandate. They won yes but look at the actual percentage of votes they got. Middle class, hard working people can’t stand them. Thankfully they’ll only get one term before people wake up and the grown ups take over again.

Quite correct. Plus reoffenders with mental health needs that are not being met. Reoffenders from deprived areas who are often illiterate. Reoffended with drug and alcohol dependency. We need to start looking more at the causes of crime rather than simply punishing with prison sentences.

I’m a Tory and will watch this government very closely.

But penal reform is essential and this is a good early announcement. I applaud it. We need to concentrate on criminal policy and fund prisons, rehabilitation programmes and the police very much more (as we also need to do with defence).

To do that we have to stop hosing down the NHS with ever more money. Sadly, I don’t believe any government can escape the absurd hysteria about the NHS that Labour has baked in over the years.

A day out as a ride along with the police as its not his fault he didn't join the actual police poor lamb, so hopefully this will make him feel better?..

Works amazingly in America, doesn't it?