March 13, 2006: 'Community Sentences Cut Crime' Campaign

The Howard League for Penal Reform has launched a campaign to show that 'Community Sentences Cut Crime'. The campaign aims to encourage public and government support for community sentences, and is structured around the Howard League's core beliefs and values that:

• They  work for a safer society where fewer people are the victims of crime
• Community sentences make a person take responsibility and help them to lead a law-abiding life in the community
• People must make amends for their offences and change their lives

According to the Howard League, replacing 20,000 prison places with alternative sentences would save the taxpayer a total of £690 million. A reduction in the prison population of 5% (3,500) would save £120 million.

The Howard League has launched an Award scheme to celebrate and draw attention to the most successful programmes round the country. Today the Howard League celebrated one of the outstanding community programme Award winners - the Suffolk Reparation and Mediation Service (SRAMS).

Crime Concern's SRAMS, which compliments the work of three Suffolk youth offending service teams, is an inclusive restorative justice project that works with young people to find appropriate ways for them to make amends to their local community for the offences they have committed.

The project allows young people to describe their feelings and shape outcomes, acknowledge consequences and provide achievable opportunities that are valued in the community. It also gives victims a voice within the criminal justice system to assist them in putting the experience behind them.

Howard League Director Frances Crook said:

"For the majority of non-dangerous offenders community sentences are more likely to reduce the seriousness and frequency of re-offending. They help to make a person take responsibility for their offending and put something back into the community rather than sitting out their time on a prison bunk."

Campaign Manage Catryn Yousefi commented:

"Community sentences can cut crime by 14% and in 2004 had a success rate of 61%. Of the 128,077 people who started a community sentence in 2004, 77,621 successfully completed their sentence. In comparison most prisoners are reconvicted within two years of leaving prison. Well-resourced and structured community programmes are helping to bring down the rate of re-offending and repay the damage caused by crime."

The 2006 Community Programmes Award is a joint initiative with the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

The number of people starting community sentences under the supervision of the probation service in 2004 was 128,077 - 6% higher than 2003 and over 30% higher than the number in 1993. The number of people who successfully completed a community sentence in 2004 was 77,621. Reconviction rates for those serving community sentences are 14% lower than for those serving time in prison.