Alternatives to prison

• Alternatives to prison sentences

  • Community sentences
  • Fines
  • Unpaid work (community payback orders)
  • Restorative Justice
  • Mental health support
• Community sentences

  • Cheaper than prison
  • Sensible for some first time offenders, young offenders and less serious offences
  • More likely to address the cause(s) of crime
  • Effective in rehabilitating and reforming offenders
  • Offenders reflect on their crime while they work
  • Good for communities (e.g. clearing up litter or cleaning up graffiti)
  • Reduce re-conviction rates compared to short-term prison sentences
• Patterns of offending

  More likely to be broken when people feel valued, useful and accepted in their local communities
• Offenders on community sentences

  • Receive advice on money management and preparing for employment
  • Have opportunities to study educational courses
  • Can take on voluntary work or go on to full-time study
• Restorative Justice

  • Has high satisfaction rates among participants
  • Effective in reducing re-offending, especially among young people as offenders become aware of how crimes affect the victims
• "Tagging" and home detention curfews

  • Allow the authorities to continue to monitor offenders
• Arguments against community sentencing

  • Seen as a 'soft option' and not a proper punishment
  • Difficult for social workers to force criminals to serve their community sentence, many offenders do not complete their sentence
  • Concerns that the streets will not be safe as criminals can walk around freely