NEWS
Prison reform group welcomes budget cuts
Friday 28th May 2010.
An organisation promoting change in the penal system has welcomed the recent cuts to the Ministry of Justice budget.
Life Change UK hopes that the £325m funding cut will have a positive impact, and will support change in the criminal justice system.
Director Trevor Philpott OBE said: “With the tight budget and focus on community alternatives to custody, the budget squeeze is a good thing as it is forcing necessary change.
“I believe that the situation will encourage change for the better and that the new government ministers will attempt to capitalise on this by reducing waste and promoting innovation.”
Details of the cuts have not yet been announced, however HM Prison Service have stated that the cuts will not affect the building of new prisons; they still aim to expand prison capacity to 96,000 by 2014, an increase of over 8,000.
HM Prison Service intend to tighten recruitment "to all but the most essential posts".
Funding may also affect ICT spend, change programmes, consultancy, travel, events, postage, capital projects and capacity.
The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) is hopeful that if prison resources are limited under these new cuts, then imprisonment will only be used for offenders as a last resort, something which the organisation aims for.
Director of PRT Juliet Lyon, said: “Prison has been overused in the past. Maybe these cuts will point towards getting addicts into rehab, and minor offenders into community service.”
However, PRT are concerned that the cuts will hamper the “rehabilitation revolution” which the government has proposed, which would require significant investment.
The Treasury stated that the cuts, totalling £6.25bn, have been announced in a bid to tackle “the unprecedented £156bn deficit.”
UPDATE: Saturday 29th May 2010: The Ministry of Justice have announced they have scrapped proposals to build a new prison at Leicester.