The CJA welcomes the final report of the Independent Sentencing Review led by David Gauke. We are pleased to see that it sets out a body of sensible, evidence-based recommendations which, if adopted, could shift significant numbers of people away from custodial sentences and towards more effective, community-based alternatives.
Whilst the CJA is supportive of the recommendations, we remain concerned about the significant challenges in the feasibility and practicality of implementation. Realising the ambition of these reforms will require strong political will, adequate investment, and sustained collaboration across government and the wider criminal justice sector.
We urge the Government to:
Accept and address the long-standing inequities in the system experienced by women and Black and racially minoritised groups.
Develop a rehabilitative culture across the criminal justice system that supports desistance and values building trusting relationships between those entering the system and the institutions and professionals delivering services in prisons and probation.
Rebuild trust in community orders from all key parties, with the onus on discipline and rehabilitation.
Recognise and adopt the services of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector as valued partnerships in both prison and probation. This is particularly vital at a time when many respected VCSE providers are facing closures or making redundancies due to lack of sustainable funding and access to government contracts.
Ensure that people with lived experience are meaningfully involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of sentencing reforms and rehabilitative services.
The CJA urges the Government to treat this review as a foundation for bold and necessary reform. This is a crucial opportunity to build a fairer, more proportionate sentencing framework that reduces reoffending, promotes rehabilitation, and ultimately creates safer communities. We look forward to the Government’s response.
Our evidence:
Download a copy of our January 2025 submission to the Independent Sentencing Review.
