Why the system is broken

The number of men, women and children sent to prison has more than doubled over the last three decades. Although most spend less than a year inside, this comes at a terrible cost to the taxpayer, society and communities. Reoffending on release creates ever more victims of crime.

While the prison population continues to grow, the money and resources available to manage that population growth is simply not there. More and more we see prisoners lying on their bunks with little positive to do. There are problems of prison suicides, rising violence and drug abuse behind bars.

Crime is often caused by drug or drink problems, by poor mental health, or through abuse and neglect at an early age. The public deserves a justice system that tackles these underlying causes of crime and invests in prevention.

We can never imprison our way to a safer society. Prisons store up and create problems that come back to haunt our communities in the form of more crime and human misery.

Read about our current campaigns and help us achieve less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.

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