Psychologists Welcome Proposal On Abolishing Short-term Prison Sentences, England

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 07 Oct 2009 - 14:00 PDT

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The British Psychological Society welcomes the proposal by the Prison Governors' Association (PGA) to abolish prison sentences of less than a year and replace with community punishments.

The PGA national executive committee proposed this motion at their annual conference on the 6 October 2009, which condemned the record rise in prisoner numbers as a "failure of penal policy". They claim short jail sentences don't reform criminals and should be abolished in favour of community punishments.

The Society is pleased that this motion has opened debate as it had previously highlighted concerns on the benefits of short-term sentencing compared to community punishments in a response to a Ministry of Justice consultation on Reducing Re-offending in London in January 2009.

The Society called for a net re-investment of resources in community rather than custody, reserving prison for those who need to be restrained and extending community supervision elsewhere.

Professor James McGuire (Professor of Forensic Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool) commented; 'We are pleased that the PGA has made this announcement as the numbers of inmates currently serving short sentences continue to rise with little evidence this has any positive effect on public protection or rehabilitation. Research evidence has shown community punishments can be more effective and less costly in human terms; prisoners, their families and children, and in financial terms for the public.'

'Increasing resources for community supervision and improving its quality would enable better monitoring of psychological changes linked to risk of re-offending, as well as providing better opportunities for rehabilitative work.'

Source
British Psychological Society