Former Lord Chancellor David Gauke has been appointed by the Labour government to deliver a major review of criminal sentencing, and found “haphazard“ and ill-thought-out decision-making has pushed the criminal justice system to the brink of collapse.
A report by the Gauke Independent Sentencing Review says longer jail terms have been a “knee jerk” policy response to show government action, leading to an overwhelmed and ineffective system, despite an overall decline in crime since the mid-1990s.
The Gauke review has warned the cost of the increasing prison population has been “catastrophic” for prisons and probation services, as it has diverted resources towards emergency measures to respond to the record demand, instead of reducing reoffending and safety in the system.
In 2023, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman suggested mandatory two-year prison terms for serial offenders, while in the same statement she acknowledged that the prison system had reached ”breaking point”.
Introducing new offences and changes including mandatory minimum sentences and extended sentences has driven up terms, the report added, with many of the changes in response to tragic events that have led to inconsistencies and left victims with “a sense of injustice”.
