Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing structured military service as an alternative sentence for non-violent offenders serving sentences of less than 25 years.

We have no current plans to introduce military service as an alternative to custody. Therefore, no comparative cost analysis has been undertaken.

Research indicates that sentences with a military focus do not reduce re-offending. The evidence shows that it is the intervention to address offending behaviour which makes a difference, not the military regime and physical toughness.