Reform sector strategies
Overview
Reform sector strategies: is there an alternative to the `alternatives to custody' debate?
The promotion of `alternatives to custody' has been a staple demand of criminal justice reformers in England and Wales for more than a decade. Convincing the public, sentencers, and politicians to impose a community-based sentence rather than a custodial one is the key mechanism by which, it is argued, the use of custody can be reduced.
However, the findings of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' recent work monitoring community-based sentences in the three years up to 2008 suggests that whatever their other merits, community sentences did not appear to be performing their anticipated role of `alternative to custody' envisaged by reformers and the government only a few years ago.
If the conventional wisdom of promoting community sentences as a route out of prison expansion is out-of-kilter with the reality of our use of the penal system, what would alternative strategies be composed of?
This 18 month project is focused on engaging with everyone committed to significantly reducing the numbers of people in custody. Its starting point is the above dilemma and it intends to contribute to an open, forward-looking dialogue about the development of coherent and credible policies to halt and reverse prison growth.
We will begin by looking at penal reform strategies in England and Wales since the mid 1990's and assessing how far these efforts have taken us in moderating / diverting / reducing the use of custody. This will include a thorough review of sentencing statistics to establish the efficacy of community sentences as an `alternative to custody'. We anticipate a number of challenges facing penal reformers will emerge from this work. In spring 2011 we will produce working papers outlining these challenges and hold discussion events to share and discuss these issues with those committed to seriously reversing the growth in prison numbers.
On the basis of this, the second part of the project will look to the future and seek to identify promising ideas, alternative concepts and new ways of organising that respond to the challenges facing penal reduction and help to think through and address this aim in the longer term.
Join in the debate
If you are interested in participating in future discussion events, or being involved in this project please contact or .
Reform sector strategies is funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.