Spending Review 2021: Justice

Our Director of External Engagement, Helen Berresford, said: “Yesterday’s #SpendingReview justice announcements included:

• £3.4 billion to build more prisons
• Make permanent previous additional £155 million per year for probation
• £200 million per year by 2024/25 to increase prison leavers’ access to housing, jobs & treatment support
• £75 million a year by 2024-25 to expand the use of GPS-enabled electronic tagging of offenders.

“Support for people leaving prison with housing, employment and treatment is much needed. We don’t yet know the detail of the £200m but there is an urgent need to tackle the crisis of homelessness on release from prison. Pre-Covid, 1000 people were released from prison homeless every month, with little hope of a second chance. Even during the pandemic this was over 600.

“But will this funding go far enough? Funding announced in January 2021 set out a £220m overall package for cutting crime which included accommodation funding. But this only reached 5 pilot areas. We desperately need to see housing & support available across the country and the commitment to finally break the cycle of #CellStreetRepeat. We will be continuing to push for this.

“It is incredibly disappointing to see the amount spent on rehabilitation hugely overshadowed by the amount for building prisons. Prison is a dead end for too many and as we have seen time and again simply does not work. If this Government is serious about reducing crime, it must shift the balance to tackle the drivers of crime, replace ineffective short sentences; and give people the best chance at a second chance through the right support on release. It is still possible.”