'Crime wave' warning to ministers over plans to scrap short sentences of six months or less

Thousands of repeat offenders could be spared prison every year under the Government’s plans to abolish jail terms of six months or less, except for violent and sexual crimes, according to a newly-published report.

It comes after Justice Secretary David Gauke last week declared there was a “very strong case” for scrapping the short jail terms.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart also backed the move, which is being explored as part of efforts to reduce the prison population and drive down re-offending.

The figure includes thieves, burglars, drink-drivers, fraudsters, and those caught with knives or drugs.

The Civitas report, written by Peter Cuthbertson, founder of the Centre for Crime Prevention, says: "If Rory Stewart is wrong, the consequences for public safety could be enormous, with the Government unleashing a crime wave on hundreds of thousands of citizens.

"The Government must now consider the evidence, rather than proceed any further with plans for an effective amnesty for burglars, shoplifters and other prolific criminals."

Mr Gauke signalled a departure from the Tory "prison works" mantra as he unveiled his vision for "smart justice" last week.

Short custodial terms would be replaced by "robust" community orders under the blueprint, which has been backed by penal reform campaigners.

The Justice Secretary cited figures showing that over a quarter of all re-offending is committed by people who served sentences of 12 months or less.

"They fail to rehabilitate many offenders and lead to high rates of reoffending, which actually makes us less safe and more likely to be a victim of crime.

"That is why we are exploring more stringent and enforceable community sentences - but this work is ongoing and we've reached no conclusions at this time."

Burglary, drug possession and possession of a knife offences are triable "either way" - meaning they can be tried at either the Crown Court or a magistrates' court- and will therefore still attract custody where a longer sentence is merited, the ministry noted.

It added that an MoJ study published in 2015 found that custodial sentences of under 12 months were associated with higher levels of re-offending than sentences given to similar offenders that were served in the community.