Increases in the use of electronic tagging and “toughening up” unpaid work will help reduce prison overcrowding, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The independent review of the current sentencing framework published in February called for an increased focus on utilising punishment outside of prison to reduce reoffending, freeing up capacity in jails.
In response, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she’s determined to toughen community punishment – and make sure unpaid work truly pays back communities harmed by crime.
The work done by offenders at the Nene Valley Railway near Peterborough is certainly tough.
A group of low to medium-risk offenders have been sent to help re-lay track for the charity that runs the heritage railway, famous for being home to the engine that inspired Rev W Awdry’s Thomas The Tank Engine.
“We’ve been working with the probation service for over 20 years,” says Michael Purcell, chair of the Nene Valley Railway.
“Most of the work here is done by volunteers, and many of them are quite old.
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“So to have a team of younger workers that can come here and do the physical work under an experienced supervisor as a community service is massively helpful to us.”
Visually, there are echoes of the prison chain gangs of old.
But the hard labour involved in this unpaid work is very much a part of contemporary plans to reduce reoffending.
The Ministry of Justice says its analysis indicates that community-based sentences are more effective at reducing reoffending than custodial sentences lasting under a year.
Supervising the work on the railway is Michael Barry, who believes the hard work gives the offenders on the programme a feeling of achievement.
“You do notice that the men and women who come to work here don’t tend to come back,” Mr Berry explains.
“I’ve been supervising groups here for 20 years, and many of the offenders who have worked here seem to have gone back to working.
“So I do believe it helps people return to work after offending.”
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The MoJ says being tough on crime means always having the prison capacity to incarcerate the most dangerous offenders.
And it says that as well as “toughening up” unpaid work, probation funding will be increased by up to £700m (nearly 45%), allowing it to “substantially boost” the number of offenders on electronic monitoring.
The MoJ has also said an increase in the use of curfews and exclusion zones, where offenders are prohibited from visiting certain areas, will help reduce prison overcrowding.
A spokesperson added: “Offenders should be made to give back to the communities they’ve harmed. That is why we are toughening up unpaid work as a punishment so it can continue to act as a deterrent and make our streets safer.
“Projects like Nene Valley are a great example of how hard work ensures offenders pay for their crimes. We want to see more projects like this and are talking with councils and businesses to put more offenders to work.”
