Neither your editorial on the interim findings of David Gauke’s review of sentencing (18 February) nor your article (Prison system crisis due to overreliance on long sentences, says Gauke review, 18 February) make any reference to some of the more obvious aspects of the Prison Service.
First, finding an alternative to the use of prison-based remand; second, keeping non-violent criminals in a restrictive regime outside prison; third, serious study into recidivism, and finally, improving the literacy of those entering prison for the first time.
“A far less kneejerk approach to custodial sentencing, particularly in relation to more minor offences, would ease the intolerable pressure on the prison estate,” says your editorial.
Questions to the justice minister might include: what is the literacy level of the current prison intake?
How many prisoners are tested on leaving prison to check if their literacy level has improved?.
