One of the most publicly contested parts of the criminal justice system is how offenders are punished and rehabilitated for their crimes.

Outrage is often sparked when sentences are deemed too lenient or not reflective of the pain and suffering that has been caused not just to victims but also to their families and wider communities.

There has been decades of underfunding prisons both in staffing and buildings, and an obsession with secrecy and lack of local accountability.

Our prisons are appallingly overcrowded and courts have backlogs. That means it can take too long for cases to be heard which prolongs victims and their families suffering waiting to get justice.

Being sent to prison can give respite to those affected knowing they won’t see them again. Probation services are also being completely overstretched by ever increasing workloads with early releases from prison to cope with the overcrowding. We already know offenders often only serve half their sentence and now it’s even less than that with plans to aim for only a third.

Last month, major reforms to sentencing and releasing prisoners came into effect under the Sentencing Act 2026. One of the biggest changes is courts being required to stop handing out short term prison sentences of 12 months or less – apart from in specific or exceptional circumstances – for lesser offences. This is an affront to all of the efforts police make, such as with shoplifting, as most magistrates' courts will struggle to imprison some of our prolific offenders to give our communities some respite from crime, even if only temporary relief.

Judges now also have greater powers around suspended sentences because they can suspend them up to three years and can extend deferred sentences for longer from six months to 12 months.

The overall aim of the changes this government is introducing is largely to ease overcrowding in prisons and focus more on rehabilitation within the community, depending on the type and severity of the crime.

This will be achieved through measures such as tagging, imposing restrictive zones, drug testing and restrictive conditions such as being prohibited from entering pubs, clubs and bars, but also means more work for the police and probation.

Reducing reoffending is an important aspect to stop more people becoming victims. This is why my office has led the nationally award-winning Prisoners Building Homes (PBH) which trains prisoners on day release in factories to help build modular homes, leaving with a job and money.