Following David Gauke’s sentencing recommendations, The Howard League for Penal Reform has examined how they might soon translate into operational reality. 

The following review recommendations are estimated to save between 9,000 and 10,000 prison places.

These are: 

• Curbing the use of short custodial sentences
• Extending the use of suspended sentence orders
• Introducing an ‘earned progression’ model for those on standard determinate sentences 
• Simplifying the recall system for those on standard determinate sentences. 

Even if these proposals became genuinely operational, however, it is thought that prison places would begin to run out again in just two years. 

Concerns also exist over how an ‘earned progression’ model would work, given the current overcrowding crisis and limited staff capacity to manage such a scheme. 

For further information, click here.