Nacro response to the Prime Minister’s plans to increase prison places and police stop and search

Nacro Chief Executive, Campbell Robb said:
“We all share the same aim of reducing crime and reducing the number of victims of crime. But increasing prison places isn’t the answer.

“Over three quarters of all crimes that result in a caution or sentence are repeat offences often committed by people that have already been to prison. And people who are given a prison sentence of less than 12 months are more likely to reoffend than someone given a community alternative. The people we support on release from prison so often face an impossible struggle to turn away from crime because they are held back by homelessness, a lack of essential medication or health support, a lack of job opportunities or a lack of access to sufficient money to get food and basics to survive.

“Increasing the numbers of people in our prisons, that are likely to be released without essential basics in place, is a recipe for disaster and a sure-fire way to keep reoffending rates high.”