argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right to raise that concern. There are different ways in which one can address that matter. More support could be provided. For example, there could be release on a temporary licence a few days before the final release so that many of the public services can be accessed. Whether we look at release on a particular day or at other ways of addressing that matter, I completely understand his point. We need to make sure that when people are released, they are in a strong position to access accommodation and a job and to be able to maintain their family links; that is what we want to do.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The figures from the Ministry of Justice consistently show that the longer people spend in prison the less likely they are to reoffend. When the Secretary of State says that he wants to see the end of short-term sentences, does he agree with me that those people should be sent to prison for longer, or does he agree with the Opposition that those criminals should not be sent to prison at all?
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I had a feeling that the consensus was not going to last much longer. The reality is that for petty offenders who tend to be prolific and tend to be repeat offenders, the evidence shows that non-custodial sentences are more effective at reducing reoffending than custodial sentences and that is the approach that we want to take.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): Would not reoffending rates for those on short-term prison sentences go down if life was made as uncomfortable as possible for them while they were in jail? Instead of spending all day in their overcrowded prison cell either on their mobile phone or going through the satellite TV channels, should they not be out breaking rocks in a quarry or picking up litter in the rain?
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): People are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment. The purpose of prison should be about ensuring that when people are released, they are less likely to reoffend. I do not think that my hon. Friend is setting out an effective approach.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Julian Carlton Knight (Conservative, Centre-right): I support the idea that short custodial sentences often serve little purpose in reducing reoffending, but does the Secretary of State agree that to convince the public of this—to take them on this journey—they need to see both transparency of sentencing and that any discounts on tariffs are rewards, rather than the rule?
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): It is important that there are incentives—both carrots and sticks—in the prison system. Good behaviour in prison should be rewarded, just as bad behaviour should be punished. That is the approach that we need to take.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): We need to make sure that the alternatives to custody are effective—that they are not soft options, but that they do enable people to turn their lives around—and that the public have confidence that this is the proper course of action to take. That is our ambition.
Sport and Recidivism — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): I recognise the value of sport and physical activity for the physical and mental health benefits they bring, and for the role that they can play in encouraging positive behaviours among offenders. That is one of the main reasons that the Ministry of Justice commissioned Professor Rosie Meek’s review of sport in prisons, which published its recommendations this summer and to which I have responded.
Sport and Recidivism — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
John Robert Lamont (Conservative, Centre-right): The impact that sport can have is highlighted by the incredible story of John McAvoy, who discovered a talent for endurance sport while in prison serving a long sentence, and who is now a world record holder and a professional triathlete. Although not every offender will go on to complete an Ironman, sport can greatly reduce reoffending rates. What consideration has been given to improving the opportunity for offenders to participate in sport while in prison, and to encourage people such as John McAvoy to share his experience by speaking to offenders?
Sport and Recidivism — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. John McAvoy’s story is an important one, and he helped to play an important role in promoting sport in our custodial estate. On my recent visit to HMYOI Wetherby, its impressive governor Andrew Dickinson set out the work that he is doing with local sports clubs such as Leeds Rhinos to provide important role models in that institution. Sport and programmes such as these can help to develop attitudes and skills such as discipline and teamwork that are valuable in making a success of life outside custody and in reducing reoffending.
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The influx of drugs has had an impact on violence levels in both public and private prisons, which is why we are investing in body scanners, improved searching techniques and phone blocking technology. In 2017, four of the top five assault rates in local prisons and category C prisons were in public prisons.
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): No, the reality is that there are issues with violence in both public and private sector prisons. Certainly, the numbers that I have suggest that there is a significant issue in public sector prisons such as Liverpool, Exeter and Bedford, where there have been urgent notifications. We should not take an ideological approach. There are very good private sector prisons, and there are some very good public sector prisons, and it is right that there is a diversity of prisons in our system.
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Nicholas Soames (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend pay tribute to the prison officers in both public and private prisons who, by and large, do an exceptional job in very, very difficult circumstances? Does he agree that we should on every occasion do what we can to encourage them and raise their status as an important part of the whole process of judicial sentencing?
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right to make that point, and I happily pay tribute to the work that prison officers do in this country—a point that I made in my party conference speech in Birmingham last week. The work that they do in protecting the public and rehabilitating prisoners should be valued by us all. It is not often very public, because it is, by definition, behind locked doors, but they do excellent work and we should recognise that.
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): It is the case that in the past two years we have increased the prison officer population, and we will continue to do so. That enables us to implement changes, as we have key workers—a point that I made a little earlier—and a relationship is built up between prison officers and prisoners. Alongside additional measures that we have taken to stop, for example, drugs getting in, and the announcement that we have made on PAVA, all of that is designed to assist prison officers in doing a very, very important job.
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): The prison officers in my constituency continue to be worried about the lack of a deterrent to prevent prisoners from assaulting them. Will the Minister reassure the House that far harsher sentences should be handed down to those who dare to assault our prison officers? [Interruption.]
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed, and as my hon. Friend knows there is a new law that does precisely that. We were very happy to support the private Member’s Bill introduced by the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) on that front. We are increasing legislative ability, and we want to make sure that we work closely with the police to ensure that prosecutions are brought. It is the case, as I have mentioned, that we are giving prison officers a new tool, with access to PAVA.
Violence in Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The prisons Minister has set out a plan for 10 prisons that we are going to focus on. If the hon. Gentleman wants an explanation as to why we have chosen those specific 10 prisons, I am happy to meet him, and I know the prisons Minister would be happy to meet him. This is an area where we believe it is necessary to take action, and we have a plan to reduce violence in those prisons. If it works, we can look to extend it elsewhere. The fact is that we are gripping this issue. We are putting measures in place to address it, and we will deliver.
Mobile Phones in Prison — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): There are basically four ways in which we can detect mobile telephones coming into prisons: we can get them at the gate, coming over the wall, in use on the landings and in the cells. We are addressing it in all those ways. We are increasing searching at the gates. We are putting up grilles and netting to stop phones coming over the walls. We are putting dedicated search teams into cells, and we are using equipment to detect phones in use.
Mobile Phones in Prison — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Henry Bellingham (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that helpful reply. He obviously is aware that illegal mobile phones in cells are currently being used for drug trafficking, intimidating witnesses and other criminal activity. Can he make it 100% crystal clear that under no circumstances will he or the Secretary of State ever go down the route of allowing prisoners to have legal mobiles in their cells?
Mobile Phones in Prison — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): We are absolutely clear that a mobile telephone, and particularly a smartphone, in a prison is a form of weapon. It allows a prisoner to jump the prison walls, effectively; they can transfer money, record videos and intimidate witnesses. We are encouraging prisoners to continue to use regulated landlines in prisons to contact their families. We are investing in in-cell telephony, because keeping family relationships will reduce reoffending by 37%, but a mobile telephone is a weapon, and we will find them and remove them.
Mobile Phones in Prison — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): Thanks to a private Member’s Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Maria Caulfield), which we have been proud to support, new technology is available that should not force governors to have to come up with a bespoke solution prison by prison, but will allow us nationally to have much better technology to identify these phones, listen to them and ultimately seize them.
Employment and Education: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Education
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): Prison education is key to achieving better outcomes for offenders and has been proven to reduce reoffending by approximately 9% and increase P45 employment by 1.8%. We are empowering governors, who will be given the budget and controls to tailor education provision in their prisons, to both better engage their prisoners and meet their specific learning and employment needs. On 17 September, we launched a new innovative commissioning portal, which will give governors direct access to a huge range of learning and skills providers, including local educators and employers.
Employment and Education: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
James Roger Cartlidge (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. Does he agree that in some cases, self-employment—for example, as a sole trader—may be appropriate? Can he set out whether those new support measures will include mentoring for offenders who want to start a business when they leave prison?
Employment and Education: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an important point. A lot of ex-offenders who go on to work currently do so in self-employment, and that will continue to be the case, so encouragement and support down that route has to be part of what we do to encourage employment.
Employment and Education: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Social Welfare
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. He will know that there is a strong voluntary sector that provides a huge amount of support. I pay tribute to the work that many of those charities do. We work closely with them because it is particularly important, for those who have served their country, that we do not let them down subsequently.
Court System — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): We are taking a large number of measures to ensure that our court system is brought up to date in the 21st century. For example, we are allowing people to make applications online, with over 50% of divorce petitions now submitted online. We are making better use of technology, so that in some cases vulnerable witnesses can give pre-recorded evidence. We are also allowing those with small claims, up to £10,000, to start their claim online, defend it online and in some cases settle before the case comes to court.
Court System — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady makes an important point, because everyone who takes part in our justice system, as in politics, should reflect the society that it represents. That is not only juries; it is the professions that are there to support the judiciary on the bench. It is important that we look at the position in relation to juries.
Court System — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Victoria Mary Boswell Prentis (Conservative, Centre-right): Following the decision to close courts in Bicester and Banbury, will the Minister agree to meet me and a group of local magistrates to discuss the provision of a mobile court locally, such as people have in Kent?
Court System — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has campaigned hard on the closure of her court. I am always happy to meet with her. She made a lot of submissions to me during the consultation on the closure and put in a fair report. I am happy to meet her, and I know that she is very keen on alternative provision.
Court System — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): We do make a lot of court reform because we are spending £1 billion to bring our court system up to date. In relation to legal aid, we have an ongoing review that will report at the end of the year, and we will be evaluating our court reform programme.
Court Experience for Victims and Witnesses — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): On 10 September, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I published the first ever cross-Government victims strategy, reflecting the Government’s clear commitment to further support victims of crime. Central to the strategy are commitments to strengthen the victims code and develop legislation to underpin it, to continue ongoing work to improve the court environment, as the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. and learned Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Lucy Frazer), has already set out, to increase the use of digitisation, to increase facilities for the use of video links, to improve provision for pre-recorded cross-examination for vulnerable witnesses and to raise awareness of the importance of the victim’s personal statement and opportunities for how it can be used.
Court Experience for Victims and Witnesses — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Thomas Christopher John Pursglove (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the Minister for that comprehensive answer. I know from some of my constituents about the stress, strain and emotional toll of having to repeatedly face those who have hurt them or their loved ones. What steps is his Department taking to support victims who find themselves having to repeatedly give victim impact statements?
Court Experience for Victims and Witnesses — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend takes a close interest in this area. I can entirely understand the impact on a victim of having to relive a crime multiple times. That is why the victim’s personal statement is hugely important. One of the measures that we are putting in place is the use of body-worn cameras to record the statement, which should help to reduce the number of times it needs to be made. Underpinning the strategy is the aim of reducing the number of people a victim has to interact with. If my hon. Friend wishes to highlight a specific case, I would be happy to meet him.
Law Centres — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): My Department greatly appreciates the great work that law centres are doing across the country. We support law centres with grant funding and through legal aid contracts. In April, I met Julie Bishop, the director of the Law Centres Network, and I was pleased to share a panel with LawWorks at our party conference last week. My officials are engaging actively with law centres as part of the review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Law Centres — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman for the work he did in his community before becoming a Member of Parliament. I should also declare that I did voluntary work in a law centre for a very brief period as part of my work as a barrister. We must encourage people to volunteer to do that work, because it is greatly appreciated. As part of the LASPO review, we are looking at how we provide advice to those who need it most, and the work that law centres do is a key part of that advice. We will be reporting on that by the end of the year.
Burglary and Custodial Sentences — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What recent estimate he has made of the proportion of people convicted of burglary offences for the first time who received custodial sentences; and if he will make a statement.
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): Burglary is a particularly disgusting crime, especially domestic burglary—it is not just the loss of someone’s possessions, but the terrible intrusion on their privacy and the humiliation of having someone in their home. The majority of first-time offenders do receive a conviction—73% of domestic burglars receive a prison sentence.
Burglary and Custodial Sentences — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What recent estimate he has made of the proportion of people convicted of burglary offences for the first time who received custodial sentences; and if he will make a statement.
Laurence Anthony Robertson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that response and particularly welcome his condemnation of burglary, which, as he rightly says, is a very serious offence. I therefore urge him to ensure that the sentence fits the crime, so that potential reoffenders are deterred from doing it again.
Burglary and Custodial Sentences — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What recent estimate he has made of the proportion of people convicted of burglary offences for the first time who received custodial sentences; and if he will make a statement.
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): The maximum sentence for aggravated burglary is currently a life sentence. The maximum sentence for burglary is 14 years. The sentence length given by judges, and reflected by the Sentencing Council, has increased over the past 10 years. That is as it should be, because domestic burglary is a particularly disgusting and uncivilised crime, and society should be making a symbolic statement against it.
School Exclusion — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Education
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right to highlight this issue: 23% of those given short custodial sentences were previously excluded from school. I have not personally met the Secretary of State for Education to this discuss this matter, but I have corresponded with the Minister with responsibility for schools on exactly this issue. I regularly meet the Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Education about linked issues, and my officials and I are engaged with the Department for Education on its exclusions review.
School Exclusion — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Education
Robert Henry Halfon (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you, Mr Speaker. An increasing number of pupils are being excluded from our schools, and 60% of our prisoners were excluded when in our education system. What action is the Ministry of Justice taking to work with the Department for Education to provide serious support to those who have experienced exclusion and are at risk of offending?
School Exclusion — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): As I briefly mentioned, my officials and I have already engaged with the Department for Education’s exclusions review, submitting an analysis by the Ministry of Justice on the correlation between offenders and exclusions. Key to tackling this issue is joined-up working across government and agencies. I heard about this issue on a recent visit to Hackney youth offending team. I will continue to work closely with Ministers and other Departments to develop measures to support the exclusions review when it reports.