November 5, 2007: New Report: Economics of Imprisonment
The debate, whether for or against prison, has historically
focused on the moral, political and social arguments for sentencing. With the
current prison population at a record high, and with further demand for prison
places projected, a timely new research report from the
Matrix Knowledge Group on 'The
Economic Case for and against Prison', provides new evidence on the most
effective ways to spend public money.
The objective of the research is to provide an evidence base
that estimates the value for money of different alternatives to prison. Value
for money models are widely applied in other government sectors, e.g.
healthcare, but little has been done in the criminal justice sector. Although a
prison sentence can be applied for several reasons, the research focuses on its
ability to reduce re-offending.
The analysis demonstrates that more effective community based
alternatives to prison for reducing re-offending do exist. The research also
shows that where prison is necessary (for example in the case of violent
offenders), prison sentences accompanied by training and treatment interventions
are more effective than prison alone in reducing re-offending.
Seven alternatives to prison are shown to offer better value
for money for the taxpayer when reduced re-offending is the desired outcome. The
value for money savings per offender can be significant, ranging from £425 to
£88,469 when considering only the public sector costs, and between £16,260 and
£202,775 when also including costs to the victims.
According to Jacque Mallender, CEO of Matrix Knowledge Group:
"Economic research of this nature delivers a more complete
picture on value for money... “as an independent research company we’re very
pleased to have been commissioned to undertake this work. Matrix Knowledge
Group prides itself in delivering unbiased and evidence-led support to
decision makers to assist them in implementing effective policy solutions. An
economic approach is not about minimising cost, it is about getting the most
value for each pound of taxpayer money spent.”
The
full report is
available online.
Responding to the publication of The economic case for and
against prison, Howard League for Penal
Reform Director Frances Crook said:
"This new analysis by a group of leading economists makes it
clear that prison is not working for you, the taxpayer and law abiding citizen.
Community interventions have a far better rate of reducing reoffending and can
save the taxpayer up to £200,000 per sentenced offender, when taking in the
savings to the public sector from reducing future crime. Surely our politicians
must now grasp the nettle, putting in resources and fighting to increase public
confidence in 21st century solutions that cut crime and are cost effective,
compared to the old fashioned and costly failures of prison."
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