Recent changes in the Sentencing Bill signal a welcome shift towards community-based alternatives to custody. But sentencing reform alone will not break cycles of reoffending. To reduce harm, improve public safety and deliver better value for the public purse, prevention and joined-up support must sit at the heart of our justice system. Drawing on frontline experience, this piece explores why early intervention and coordinated services are essential if reform is to deliver lasting change. St Giles CEO Tracey Burley explains:
The Sentencing Bill includes several welcome steps in the right direction. Most notably, the removal of Clause 35 is a victory for common sense. Publicly naming and shaming people on community sentences would have had damaging unintended consequences for families, while actively undermining a sentencing option that, when properly supported, reduces reoffending and delivers better outcomes for society.
The Bill’s presumption in favour of suspended sentences for those receiving custodial terms of 12 months or less, alongside earned progression, signals a growing recognition that community-based alternatives to custody are often more effective than short prison sentences. This shift matters. But it raises a deeper and more urgent question: where does prevention sit in the Government’s approach to justice reform?
Reoffending remains the defining failure of the current system. The Justice Committee recently found that 80% of offending in England and Wales is reoffending. Behind this statistic lies a familiar pattern: individuals cycling through courts, prisons and probation, while the root causes of their offending—poverty, trauma, exploitation, homelessness, unmet mental health needs—remain unaddressed. Effective rehabilitation has its roots in prevention as it both stops first-time offences and helps break cycles of offending that bear a heavy cost both in human and financial terms.
At St Giles, we see daily the consequences of fragmented systems. Justice, housing, health, education and policing all touch people’s lives, but too often operate in isolation. The answer is not new structures or additional bureaucracy; it is about joining up what already exists around the individual most at risk of falling through the cracks.
One recent case illustrates community-based interventions delivered through integrated working very clearly. A teenager exploited into county lines drug dealing was arrested and charged with possession with intent to supply. Through early, coordinated intervention, a St Giles mentor supported him through court, worked with his solicitor, and brought together professionals across justice, health and education. The court recognised his vulnerability and imposed a community sentence rather than custody.
The result was not leniency – it was effectiveness. The young person remained in college, rebuilt family relationships, gave back through unpaid work, and reduced his risk of further exploitation. A costly prison sentence was avoided, public safety was improved, and long-term harm was reduced. Community-based rehabilitation was the right solution in this case and should be in so many others.
This is what prevention looks like in practice. It works, it saves money, and it reduces reoffending. Yet too often, prison remains the default destination for people failed by disconnected systems.
This is not just a policy ambition. Through the strategic partnership between St Giles and the Wise Group, integrated throughcare and relational mentoring are already being delivered in practice – supporting people before release and staying with them long enough to stabilise housing, recovery and routes into work.
If sentencing reform is to deliver lasting change, it must be matched by sustained investment in early intervention, credible community alternatives and joined-up, relational support. Organisations like St Giles stand ready to help ensure that justice reform delivers not just fewer prison places but safer communities and better lives.
Tracey Burley, Chief Executive
Further reading:
https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/st-giles-joins-campaign-to-oppose-clause-35-of-the-sentencing-bill/