Clarke ‘guilty of muddle over jail rehabilitation’

Three out of five criminals serving short-term sentences are convicted again within a year but Government plans to only provide literacy and numeracy workshops are “insufficient to achieve effective rehabilitation through employment”, the Civitas (Institute for the Study of Civil Society) report found.

Civitas added that the Government pledge to only make training available to “offenders who have been punished and show a willingness to reform” will deliberately allow criminals who are most likely to reoffend to slip through the net.

Carolina Bracken, the report’s author, said: “Whether it is because they are sentenced to a too short period of custody, because they fall outside Payment by Results incentives, or simply because the ‘working prison’ fails to provide a sufficient number of jobs, the very offenders who require the most intensive and individually-targeted intervention are those most likely to slip through the net.”

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “We are committed to reforming our public services and reducing the cost of the justice system while protecting the public and punishing those who break the law.

“This Government inherited a system of spiralling costs and overly complex procedures – it’s crucial that we rid the system of inefficiencies, ensure offenders face swift justice, and target interventions at those who will benefit the most.

“Many prisoners have significant literacy and numeracy issues which exclude them from the majority of jobs – that’s why we’re piloting intensive courses for short term prisoners which can be continued after their release or transfer.