IPPR publish 'redesigning justice' report

The IPPR have published a new report, looking at how criminal justice reinvestment could occur in the U.K.  ‘Redesigning justice: Reducing crime through justice reinvestment’ argues for greater investment in community-based projects which tackle the causes of crime, paid for by the savings this would produce ‘downstream’ in the criminal justice system. The report acknowledges the contribution of Revolving Doors to its evidence, including the contribution of our service user forum.

The report sets out the costs locally of imprisoning the current offender population, and the funds that would therefore be available for justice reinvestment.  It goes on to identify in practical terms the services that a localized budget could be spent on, and suggests in some detail how commissioning could work to bring justice reinvestment into practice.

Key recommendation include

• Local Authorities to be made responsible for reducing re-offending, with local custody budgets allocated.
• Exit routes for diversion into more effective rehabilitation for low risk offenders built into all stages of the criminal justice system
• Stipulations against ineffective short sentences
• Probation to be decentralized and integrated locally

Evidence is provided from a variety of sources, including a case study of Lewisham. This shows the level of resources that could be reinvested, with £2.5 million spent on people serving less than 12 months for non-violent offences in 2009-2010 in Lewisham alone.

The report concludes that “the goal, if it can be reached, is a great one: a criminal justice system that both punishes offenders and rehabilitates them, that costs less, and that is more effective at tackling crime and protecting the public.”

You can read Dominic’s blog on the report here.