David Gauke, former Conservative justice secretary, has said longer jail terms have been a ‘knee-jerk’ policy response to show government action
The UK’s prison overcrowding crisis has been exacerbated by decades of “tough on crime” policies, according to a major government review led by David Gauke, Labour’s new sentencing tsar. The report, published by The Independent, criticizes the political drive to appear “tough on crime,” which has prioritized longer sentences over effective crime reduction strategies. England and Wales now have one of the highest prison populations in Western Europe, with overcrowding diverting resources away from addressing the root causes of crime and reoffending. The review highlights that increasing prison populations is not the most effective way to reduce crime and calls for a shift away from punitive measures. The government has already begun releasing prisoners early to alleviate overcrowding, with plans to reduce the proportion of sentences served from 50% to 40%. The report also notes that the rise in prison populations has been driven by changes such as mandatory minimum sentences, extended sentences, and increased recalls of offenders on licence. Critics argue that the current system fails to address underlying issues like addiction, mental health, and poverty, which could be better tackled in the community. The review emphasizes the need for an honest conversation about who is sent to prison and for how long, urging a move away from penal populism to more evidence-based approaches.
