Pact's response to the Sentencing Act

On 22 January the Sentencing Act received Royal Assent and became law. There's much to celebrate:

• A shift from unproductive short custodial sentences towards more effective community sentences
• Greater protections for pregnant women
• The removal of the 'naming and shaming' clause, an issue on which we campaigned

But there's further to go. Andy Keen-Downs CBE, Pact's Chief Executive, comments:

"We at Pact welcome the passing of the Sentencing Act into law. The Act heralds a major shift from unproductive, short custodial sentences towards community sentences, which are more effective at reducing reoffending and less disruptive to families. The Act has removed the ‘naming and shaming’ clause included in the earlier Bill, and contains greater protections for pregnant women – both vital changes on which we’ve successfully campaigned.

"Yet there’s further to go. New figures show that prison officer numbers are falling, and we still lack sufficient experienced probation staff across the country to manage the increased demands for community sentences for which the legislation calls. To fulfil the promise of the Act, this must change.

"Every day, almost 90,000 people in England and Wales wake up in a prison system that’s bursting at the seams. Conditions in many institutions are inadequate. Too many prisoners are deprived of meaningful opportunities to learn, work or change. Every day that this continues, all of us suffer.

"We welcome the Act as a vital moment of change. But the work continues to build a rehabilitative prison and probation system that truly delivers justice for all."