Fewer criminals will be sent to British prisons and more will be given community sentences to try and cut recidivism under radical plans to reform the penal system announced by the government today.
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke said deep cuts in public spending will require a new approach to dealing with crime and punishment. He likened the review to a "rehabilitation revolution," which would save money and reap results.
In a speech at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in London, he described the doubling of the prison population since he was home secretary in 1992 as "astonishing" and a failure of the penal system.
"It costs more to put someone in prison for a year than it does to send a boy to Eton on average £38,000 pounds," Mr Clarke said. "The taxpayer is providing keep and accommodation - albeit in grossly overcrowded conditions - at expensive hotel prices."
The prison population reached a record high in May of 85,201. Britain has one of the highest prison populations and one of the highest crime rates in Western Europe Almost half of all prisoners reoffend within a year of their release and reoffending rates have risen by 8 per cent in recent years, official figures show.
Mr Clarke said that of particular concern was the high rate of re-offending, some 60 per cent, for the 60,000 prisoners serving short sentences each year which had to be tackled.
Prime minister David Cameron said he fully endorsed his minister's review, saying the previous Labour government's policies ended in a "complete mess" and failure.
"I believe that prison can work ... it's just not working properly at the moment. When you have got reoffending rates, when you have got the cost of each prison place, when you have got the appalling problem of drugs in prisons - we've got to reform," he told MPs in the House of Commons.
Some Conservatives criticised the proposals saying it would anger ordinary traditional Tories who expected the party to be tough on crime. "Lots of Conservative supporters, whether they be in parliament or voters, will feel very disappointed by this announcement," said Tory backbencher Philip Davies.
The Prison Reform Trust, the Probation Chiefs Association and the former Chief Inspector of Prisons, David Ramsbottom welcomed the review. "I think it's right. What I find encouraging ... is that he appears to have got a clear idea of the strategy which is going to cover the criminal justice system ... which draws all of them (departments) in," Mr Ramsbottom told BBC television, adding that the approach had been fragmented in the past.
In his fist major speech since taking office, Mr Clarke set out a new approach to cut re-offending rates involving paying private firms and voluntary organisations according to how many inmates they are able to rehabilitate.
Mr Clarke also committed himself to a full review of sentencing policy that could scrap short prison sentences for many crimes which he said were entirely ineffectual.
"It is virtually impossible to do anything productive with offenders on short sentences. And many of them end up losing their jobs, their homes and their families during their short term inside," he said.
Clarke said his reforms would not be soft on hardened criminals who commit "nasty offences", but added that he believed in intelligent sentencing that gave value for money.
"Just banging up more and more people for longer without actively seeking to change them is what you would expect of Victorian England."
Reuters