Helen Mills

Government attempts to slow a rapidly rising prison population by a reformed, and credible, community sentences framework has largely failed, according to a report published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Indeed there is evidence that the Community Orders and Suspended Sentence Orders, which came into effect in April 2005, are contributing to the rise in prison numbers, rather than helping to arrest its growth.

At a time of spending cuts and continued increases to inequality, a new report argues the prison population is likely to rise further, despite the coalition's expressed aim to contain and manage prison numbers. Reducing the numbers in custody argues that the key levers for reducing record high prison numbers are located in wider social and economic policy and not in changes to community sentences or reforms to criminal justice policy.

This report explores the transition from prison for those with a conviction for a sexual offence, a group that faces and poses considerable challenges in the community after their release. Based on interviews with ex-prisoners, staff and volunteers at a specialist hostel for this group and representatives from local statutory agencies, the report considers three resettlement issues - housing, employment and community reintegration - and explores the dilemmas that arise for professionals involved in the lives of ex-prisoners with a conviction for a sexual offence.

The first in an annual series by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, supported by the Hadley Trust, tracking year-on-year developments in criminal justice and social welfare across the UK. Combining analysis of the main developments with key data on issues such as spending, staffing and the numbers going through the criminal justice system, UK Justice Policy Review offers an accessible overview of UK-wide developments.