The UK prison system is facing an ongoing capacity crisis. We know the prison population must be urgently reduced – and acknowledge that sentences and sentencing guidelines can play a part in this. However when the main drivers of crime are societal and long-term we are concerned that sentences may only play a limited part in reducing reoffending.

Our response to the Sentencing Review explores evidence and framing, and argues for a comprehensive sentencing reform agenda that goes beyond simply adjusting sentence lengths. We advocate for a fundamental re-evaluation of the statutory purposes of sentencing, urging a prioritisation of crime reduction and rehabilitation grounded in evidence.