Grayling eyes prison reforms

Offenders may face serving longer jail terms under a reform which is being discussed by the Government. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said he would like to see a process which does not systematically reduce prison sentences, even for inmates who have good behaviour records. The Conservative minister also promised that he would not reduce prison capacity, asserting that Britain’s lower crime rate could be partly explained by a higher number of offenders being imprisoned, the Daily Telegraph reports. His views are in contrast to the approach of the previous Justice Minister Ken Clarke, who argued that imprisonment is ‘expensive and inefficient’. Mr Grayling said: “Every police force will tell you when a serial burglar is behind bars their local burglary rate goes down.” He also said that the public are confused by the sentencing process with some criminals, for example, sentenced for 10 years and released after five. However, he added: “It’s not something that can be changed overnight, there are constraints on the system, there are constraints on prison places.” Mr Grayling has also requested an inquiry into prison lifestyle, looking at why some offenders are allowed non-essential privileges such as cable television. We have one of the leading teams of criminal defence specialists in West London and the South East. If you are facing a serious criminal charge, you can contact a member of the IBB’s Criminal Defence team: call us on 08456 381381 or email criminaldefence@ibblaw.co.uk.