On 3 September, the Ministry of Justice released its Sentencing Bill factsheet, outlining a landmark move to reduce custodial sentences under 12 months in favour of community and suspended alternatives. This reform marks a significant shift in criminal justice policy, one that places rehabilitation at its heart and challenges us to rethink how we break the cycle of prison, disadvantage and reoffending.
What the Sentencing Bill Means for Short Sentences
- It limits immediate custody for offences carrying sentences below 12 months, channelling more individuals into community orders. We know short prison sentences often cause more harm than good – people to lose housing, benefits and opportunities for positive progress whilst the length of their sentence does not allow for meaningful resettlement work in custody. There are effective ways of helping deliver justice through community alternatives.
- It expands options such as intensive supervision, unpaid work, and rehabilitative activities tailored to each person’s needs. This means we can address underlying issues driving offending and re-offending in the community where services and support are more accessible.
- It mandates judicial consideration of community-based disposals before defaulting to short prison terms. This gives welcome, clear guidance to judges and will help the sentencing part of the justice system support a wider shift in approach.
By rebalancing sentencing profiles, the Bill aims to deliver better outcomes for public safety, reduce prison overcrowding, and save taxpayer money, while giving people a genuine chance to positively progress.
How St Giles Wise Is Ready to Respond
Our model is rooted in community, utilising lived experience and working with each person as an individual. Here’s how we’ll meet this new wave of referrals:
- Peer Support: Trained professionals with lived experience of the justice system will guide people through the challenges of resettlement. As people who have been there themselves, they know how to navigate these challenges and possess authenticity and credibility. This is particularly important for people whose needs may not have been met by other services.
- Stable Housing: Insecure housing can increase people’s vulnerability to a range of issues, from criminal exploitation to unemployment. Our teams secure stable accommodation within supportive environments, providing people with a safe space to rebuild their lives.
- Employment Coaching: Sustainable employment is a key factor in helping people progress towards independence. However, many people with a criminal conviction face barriers to gaining work and mainstream employment support may not provide the added support people need. From CV workshops to employer partnerships, we work with people at their own pace, building their skills and confidence to help them secure employment.
- Holistic Wrap-Around Services: Each person will have their own unique situation, and our staff provide a single, trusted point of contact where we can advocate and help them navigate services. We support with mental health, finance, and family relationships so that no one falls through the cracks.
This work has helped people rebuild their lives and reduce their risk of re-offending through supporting with protective factors which decrease vulnerability. A St Giles’ project helping short-term prison leavers serving to resettle had a re-offending rate which was 40% lower than the national rate at that time. This model could be adapted for community-based alternatives. It demonstrates the impact of intensive, tailored support provided by someone who really understands your situation.
Scaling for Impact
With more people receiving community sentences, we stand ready to help people trapped in cycles of prison, disadvantage and re-offending. Through St Giles Wise, we aim to do this by expanding our work under what we anticipate will be an updated programme aligned to proposed policy changes which will re-imagine our justice system. We are keen to work in partnership with other organisations who share our ethos and ambitions.
You can play an active part in the helping us improve the lives of some of the most disadvantaged people in society whilst helping reduce the human and economic costs of our overburdened justice system. Together, we can turn this policy shift into a tide of transformation, helping people leave prison for good and rebuild their lives.
You can help us by:
- Sharing this blog and advocating with policy makers on the need for a shift towards community sentencing.
- Supporting our work here – we rely on the generous support of individuals like yourself to continue our work. Every penny counts and has a life-changing impact on the people we help.
Further reading:
https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/prisons-and-re-offending-what-if-the-solution-is-already-inside/
https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/what-we-do/work-with-prison-leavers/
https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/our-impact/evaluations-of-our-work/prisons/