My Thoughts as a Former Prison Officer on the Sentencing Bill

The criminal justice system needs change, I am pleased that this Labour Government is tackling it head on – my thoughts on Labour’s Sentencing Bill as Prison Officer-turned-MP

I resigned as a Prison Officer at the General Election of 2024. As only the second ever Prison Officer elected to Parliament, the responsibility of ensuring that the government hears the voices of prison staff is something I take seriously.

Over a year on, I am pleased with the record the new government has on justice. This Labour Government is taking the bold, necessary steps to reform sentencing and justice in this country after years of mismanagement. Whilst it may be seen as some as partisan, I believe that context in this debate is important. The last government recklessly mismanaged our prison estate to the point of collapse. We saw huge rises in violence, self harm, drug abuse, overcrowding and an abject failure to build the spaces we needed.  Their decision-making put the safety of our prison estate in jeopardy and has had horrific, real-life consequences for both staff and prisoners. We must never find ourselves in this situation again. 

Earlier this month the Government introduced the Sentencing Bill to Parliament, implementing a number of recommendations in David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review. Whilst we have a commitment to build 14,000 new prison places by 2031, we cannot build our way out of this crisis. It is important we learn from the evidence and reform the system to deliver punishment that works as well as ensuring we never run out of prison spaces.

Inspired by changes made in Texas, which has seen their crime levels fall to levels last seen in the 1960s, the Government are implementing an earned progression model, in which a prisoner’s behaviour will affect how long they spend in custody before being released into a period of intense supervision tailored to their crime type and their risk. 

The government are also implementing a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences of 12 months or less. This is not a ban, and dangerous or prolific offenders can still be handed these sentences. But we also know that community orders and suspended sentence orders more effectively reduce reoffending than short custodial sentences – and reducing reoffending is key to a safer society and a functioning prison system.

Rightly at the heart of the bill is improved rights for victims; limiting the movement of an offender to a specific geographical area, better identifying perpetrators of domestic abuse, creating a defined category that can be used to identify and manage domestic abuse offenders both in custody and on release and the provision of free copies of judges’ sentencing remarks for victims of rape and other sexual offences. Along with a number of other measures, I hope that the package of strengthened rights and support for victims will be welcomed as important step forward in what I know is the start of the journey to ensure victims, their rights and voices are heard.

We cannot find ourselves in the position we were in last July, with our prison system one bad day from collapse. The Tories can never claim to be the party of law and order – I saw enough in my six years as a prison officer to know what a justice system under the Conservatives looks like. I will use my role on the green benches to ensure the government consult operationally experienced voices at every stage of this Bill’s implementation. 

Labour will be bold. Labour will deliver for our justice system, and I am here to speak up for those who work in the justice system every day to make sure that happens. 

Sally Jameson, Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central