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By Tony Grew - 7th December 2010
The justice secretary has said the prison system is "not delivering what really matters" and outlined plans for radical reform.
Ken Clarke told the Commons that the people want criminals to be punished, yet half of offenders and three-quarters of young offenders re-offend within a year.
His green paper on rehabilitation and sentencing advocates greater use of restorative justice and treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.
Clarke claimed there will be "a revolutionary shift" in the way rehab programmes are delivered.
At least six new projects with voluntary and other groups, paid by results, will establish principles that will be applied across the country by the end of the parliament.
On sentencing, the justice secretary said there have been 20 acts of Parliament in the past decade, leading to confusion and an ad hoc framework.
He plans to ensure sentencing supports plans for more rehab and offender payments to victims and improve the collection of court fines.
Clarke also announced reforms to stop the over-use of indefinite prison sentences and "restore clarity" to sentencing policy.
On knife crime, which he called "unacceptable", the justice secretary said adults can expect prison if convicted of a knife crime, while the option of prison for juveniles is "always available".
Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said the opposition put in place a four-year plan to create a "sensible vision for sentencing policy" and under Labour crime fell 43 per cent between 1997 and 2010.
He pledged support for Clarke's plans, but claimed "the entire Tory manifesto on law and order has been put in the bin".
Khan said during the election David Cameron had claimed any person caught with a knife faced prison, and accused Clarke of a "humiliating U-turn".
He said pre-election promises have been abandoned.
"A bluff on crime and a bluff on the causes of crime," Khan told the House.
He added that the Conservatives can never claim to be the party of law and order ever again.
Clarke noted that his shadow did not criticise a single proposal he put forward.
The coalition government and financial situation meant that some of the manifesto is not being brought forward, but the "rehabilitation revolution" is at the core of the manifesto and his policy.
He accused the previous administration of "publicity-seeking" by pushing up prison numbers to such an extent that they had to let 80,000 offenders out early to ease pressure on the system.
Clarke said the 23 per cent cuts in his departmental budget would mostly come from administration and legal aid cuts. He challenged Khan if he would spend more on prisons and if so how much.
Jack Straw (Lab, Blackburn) said this cost-cutting programme could put crime levels "at risk".
Philip Davies (Con, Shipley) said most people do not think that too many people are going to prison.
Clarke said it is up to the courts to decide who is incarcerated and "it is not possible to generalise".
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