Rehabilitation not longer jail sentences the answer, says Sentamu

THE Archbishop of York has called for a reform of the prison system through a greater focus on rehabilitation rather than allowing increasing numbers to languish behind bars.

Delivering the Prisoners' Education Trust Annual Lecture, Dr John Sentamu said: "We should be pained and troubled by the size of our prison population in Britain, the sheer number of individuals who have given up on community – and feel that community has given up on them.

"We need to show love and compassion while ensuring justice is served and seen to be served".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Archbishop, who worked on inquiries into the 1993 racist killing of Stephen Lawrence and the stabbing of Nigerian schoolboy Damilola Taylor in 2000 said there was a need to teach young people to value themselves and act responsibly towards others in community, rather than relying on individualistic greed and self-satisfaction.

Dr Sentamu said: "In modern culture, the rights of the individual are now paramount – but you cannot have these rights without obligations and responsibilities. We need to get back to valuing ourselves and our neighbours – and understanding that there is a cost involved when a crime is committed. A cost to the criminal, a cost to the victim and a cost to the community."

The Archbishop, who was formerly chaplain at a remand centre in London, said reintegration should be the stated aim of all justice and penal systems. He highlighted the role of community service and said: "Putting more and more people away behind locked doors, for longer and longer sentences, does not help society. Neither does it help the individual.

"What we need is to educate people about how they can be better citizens."

Related topics: