Emphasising rehabilitation is not going ‘soft on crime’, justice secretary tells Conservatives

The government’s move away from pursuing short-term prison sentences in favour of non-custodial solutions does not make it soft on crime, Justice Secretary David Gauke told the Conservative Party Conference earlier this week.

Gauke told Conservative grassroots members – known traditionally for their support of harsh justice and a “lock them up and throw away the key” approach to crime – that prison sentences for minor crimes are not an effective way to cut reoffending. Instead, he pointed to rehabilitation as the best way to reduce instances of more minor crime, confirming the launch of the country’s first ‘secure school’ at Medway in Kent which will focus on education and healthcare for those in youth custody.

In his speech to conference, Gauke said: “I know there will be some who argue that this focus on alternatives to custody and rehabilitation is just soft justice. But I’ll tell you this. If you’ve just been a victim of a crime, you’re not going to take much comfort from the fact that the perpetrator just spent the last three months locked up for most of the day and was released last week with no job, no home, no hope and no chance.”

Gauke did not mention his department’s review into legal and access to justice in his speech, or the ongoing courts modernisation programme.