APF response to Government's community sentencing report

In response to the Ministry of Justice’s publication of ‘Community Sentencing - Reducing reoffending, changing lives’ today, Lucy Gampell, Action for Prisoners' Families Director, said:

We welcome any effort being made by Government to reduce the use of imprisonment by getting sentencers to hand out community sentences. In launching this new report, the Government has recognised that “putting offenders through tough community sentences can often be more effective in reducing reoffending than a short spell in prison” and that “prison “is not necessarily the best route for less serious offenders who may lose their job, their accommodation and their family ties after a short period of imprisonment”.

The difficulties of staying in touch with someone in prison are immense. Despite the spiralling prison population visits to jails have plummeted in recent years. Many prisoners are held more than 50 miles away from home - resulting in difficult and expensive journeys for families.

Imprisonment damages family life and thousands of children a year suffer as a result of their parent's imprisonment. Children of prisoners have about three times the risk of developing mental health problems compared to their peers and experience higher levels of social disadvantage. Even short sentences can result in permanent family breakdown, loss of a home and a job so it is little wonder that so many offenders end up back inside on release. Greater use of community sentences can prevent this and therefore benefit us all.



Arianna Silvestri
Communications Officer
Action for Prisoners' Families
Unit 21, Carlson Court
116 Putney Bridge Road
London SW15 2NQ
www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk
Tel: 0208 812 3600

PRISONERS’ FAMILIES HELPLINE: 0808 808 2003
The freephone national helpline offering information and support
to anyone with a relative or friend in prison.
www.prisonersfamilieshelpline.org.uk