Crimefile

The Coalition on Social and Criminal Justice recently wrote that:

• Despite falling crime rates, the prison population has hit record levels – prisons have almost reached existing capacity
• 67% of people released from prison go on to re-offend within two years
• For those leaving prison, re-offending rates are rising not falling
• The government estimates that re-offending costs Britain £11 billion a year.

With prison population predicted to be as much as 106,550 by the end of June 2013, the need to find successful ways of addressing re-offending rates are critical, both on social and economic grounds.

Investing in voluntary sector programs that have even a degree of success in reducing re-offending rates or diverting would-be offenders, makes good economic sense, despite the problems of quantifying the results. The social benefits are not in dispute.