This is a particularly bad signal to send out to youngsters who might be tempted into crime. That is why the Government set the target of halving the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders. It was 142 days in 1996. It dropped to 108 days last year and is on course to meet the target of 71 days next year. And reforming prosecution and court processes means faster justice for other offenders too.
Prisons are there to deter, to punish and to reform.
The Government s joined-up approach to criminal justice means that more prisoners are given the help they need to stay away from crime help finding a job, or somewhere to live, or to stay off drugs. And it works. Prison should be there as a last resort, but other kinds of punishment are needed too. The Government is also developing plans for new powers to detain a small number of the most highly dangerous people with severe personality disorders, with new assessment and treatment processes to help reduce the risk such people present. The Government is making the civil courts more effective too in delivering justice.