How successful are alternatives to prison in reducing reoffending?
Countries with lower incarceration rates tend to have lower rates for reoffending.
One area of debate is the extent to which the alternative punishments to prison are more effective in reducing reoffending. There are two views.
Advantages of alternatives to prison
It could be argued that alternatives are more effective than prison as:
- Use of alternatives to prison sentences usually have better outcomes for reducing re-offending
- Alternatives to prison allow offenders to continue working and stay at home reducing the negative impact on families
- Alternatives to prison represent better value for money as they are tailored to the individual’s offending behaviour
Disadvantages of alternatives to prison
However, it could also be argued that:
- Some offenders fail to complete Community Payback Orders or pay their fines
- Some offenders commit further crimes while subject to Community Payback Orders or Restriction of Liberty Orders
According to Scottish Government’s The Vision for Justice in Scotland (2022) report, community-based interventions are more effective in reducing reoffending than prison.
Whilst acknowledging there will always be a need for imprisonment in some individual cases, the report highlights the damage prison does to family relationships. There are an estimated 20,000 young people who have experienced parental imprisonment - this is a recognised Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). The report also states, Family and strong societal relationships are also a known protective factor against reoffending.
What are Early and Effective Intervention programmes?
Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) programmes are part of the Scottish government’s Youth Justice strategy which is based on bringing a range of different groups (social workers, community youth workers, schools, police, etc.) to better support young people and their families to reduce their chances of becoming involved in crime.
Examples of EEIs
Examples of EEIs may include:
- working closely with families in their own home to build up trust and share advice
- working with schools to provide more appropriate educational experiences for a young person
What is restorative justice?
Restorative justice focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders instead of only punishing the offender.
Victims take an active role in the process. Offenders are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and to repair the harm they've done by apologising, returning stolen goods or listening to the victim's side of the story. Restorative justice is based on a view that crime is an offence against an individual, or their community, rather than the state.
Restorative justice that encourages dialogue between victim and offender shows the highest rates of victim satisfaction and offender accountability. In countries such as New Zealand or Canada, where restorative justice has been used for many years, reoffending rates amongst certain types of offenders are lower.
The Scottish Government’s approach to restorative justice (RJ) was set out in its Restorative Justice: Action Plan of 2019. It aimed to have the RJ plan fully operational by 2023. According to Restorative Justice Action Plan’s annual report of 2022/23, RJ plan has made considerable progress in developing as a national support service.
