More electronic tags and 'tougher' unpaid work will cut prison overcrowding, Government says
More electronic tagging and harder unpaid work will reduce prison overcrowding, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says.
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An independent review on sentencing published in February called for an increase in the use of electronic tags to allow convicts to serve sentences without needing to occupy a prison cell.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in response that she wants tougher community punishments to decrease prison occupancy and reduce reoffending.
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She hopes that projects like one under way near Peterborough, where offenders are made to lay heavy tracks for a heritage railway, will serve as a model for tougher community service sentences.
Groups of low to medium-risk offenders are being used to relay the tracks on behalf of the Nene Valley Railway charity. The heritage railway is home to the engine which inspired Thomas the Tank Engine.
Michael Purcell, chairman of the Nene Valley Railway charity, said: “We've been working with the probation service for over 20 years.
"Most of the work here is done by volunteers, and many of them are quite old.
"So to have a team of younger workers that can come here and do the physical work under an experienced supervisor as a community service is massively helpful to us."
The MoJ said that, to be tough on crime, the prison system must always have the capacity to jail the most dangerous criminals.
They added that they have beefed up probation funding by up to £700million since Labour took office, and the hike of nearly 45% has allowed it to boost the number of offenders wearing tags rather than going to prison.
A MoJ spokesperson also said that an increase in the use of curfews and exclusion zones will also help to reduce overcrowding in Britain’s prisons.
The spokesperson added: "Offenders should be made to give back to the communities they've harmed. That is why we are toughening up unpaid work as a punishment, so it can continue to act as a deterrent and make our streets safer.
"Projects like Nene Valley are a great example of how hard work ensures offenders pay for their crimes. We want to see more projects like this and are talking with councils and businesses to put more offenders to work."
