Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of community sentences for tackling the underlying drivers of offending.

This Government is committed to tackling the underlying drivers of offending and to keeping our communities safe by addressing the complex issues that lead to offending, while also strengthening the supervision of offenders in the community. Since 2009/10, the proven reoffending rate for adults serving a sentence in the community (i.e. a community order or suspended sentence order) has fallen by 7.2 percentage points (from 36.2% in 2009/10 to 29.0% in 2019/20).

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. Community sentences can and should be tailored to address the individual needs, as well as to punish offenders and provide reparation to the community. Evidence suggests that community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences.

In September 2020 we published the Sentencing White Paper which set out our plans for tougher, better monitored and more effective community sentencing options which can tackle offending by providing punishment, addressing the underlying drivers of offending, and offering support for those who want to turn their lives around. We have delivered many of these reforms in the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022. This includes our problem-solving courts pilot, closer supervision of certain offenders, and the option for more robust and flexible use of electronically monitored curfews. The rollout of the Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement last year provides an option to directly tackle alcohol related offending, imposing an alcohol ban for up to 120 days; on 97% of the days monitored the ban was complied with.

The Government is also investing an additional £93 million to increase Community Payback delivery, with a particular focus on delivering more outdoor projects that improve public spaces and allow the public to see justice being done, whilst also providing more opportunities for offenders to give back to their local communities and gain further skills.