NCJ Number
182080
Date Published
1996
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This speech by Great Britain’s Home Secretary summarizes the government’s approach to crime and punishment, with emphasis on government action to address crime causes, effective punishment through custodial and community penalties, youthful offenders, and the performance of the Prison Service.
Abstract
Actions to address the causes of crime include the welfare-to-work program, the establishment of a new unit in the Cabinet office to address social exclusion, the establishment of a committee to examine family support policies, the raising of educational standards, and proposals for a new drug treatment and drug testing order. The government recognizes the need for imprisonment for certain offenses and notes that the prison population has increased to unprecedented levels in recent years. It also recognizes the need to ensure that the courts have available a full range of effective community punishments, including curfew orders enforced by electronic monitoring, driver’s license suspension, and new ways of using existing penalties. Juvenile offenders are the most important group of offenders; the juvenile justice system is in disarray and requires major reforms, including the ending of cautioning, the establishment of new dispositions, and the implementing of the secure training order. The Prison Service is experiencing enormous pressures due to the increase in the prison population. Nevertheless, the Service has performed well and will receive additional funding. Current reviews will examine how the Service can give even more attention to rehabilitation.