Labour will send fewer to jail in U-turn on crime policy

The Government is to dramatically overhaul its strategy on crime by ending its drive for ever-tougher sentences and instead putting more emphasis on rehabilitating offenders and sending fewer of them to prison.

Cabinet papers leaked to The Independent show that ministers admit their current approach alone will not solve the complex problem of crime in Britain today. The significant change of emphasis will be welcomed by critics who claim Tony Blair has not lived up to his own rhetoric because he has been "tough on crime" without being "tough on the causes of crime".

Related articles

• Leading article: Tough on crime but tougher on its causes
• Search the news archive for more stories

A cabinet policy review on crime, expected to be published later this week, says: "The Government is now in a position where it can focus on retaining stability in sentencing, and increasing the focus on rehabilitation." It says the Government must "tackle the underlying causes of crime through preventative interventions and rehabilitation, addressing social exclusion, dysfunctional families, drugs and alcohol abuse."

The proposals, approved by the Cabinet 11 days ago, include: more "tough and effective community sentences" as an alternative to prison such as removing non-cash assets and driving licences; more rehabilitation in jails; keeping prisoners in contact with their children; and more therapy and less reliance on drugs to treat mentally ill offenders.

It also includes special courts for the mentally ill; "hybrid" prisons for serious offenders with mental problems; non-serious offenders with mental problems to get non-custodial sentences and support; an expansion of treatment for offenders with drug and alcohol problems and earlier interventions to stop children leading a life of crime.

The Prime Minister's aides denied the 62-page report was an admission of failure, saying it was an attempt to learn lessons after 10 years in power.

The report proposes a "more targeted and personalised approach" which targets "the offender, not the offence", with "different solutions for different types of crime and different offenders."

An estimated 100,000 offenders are responsible for half of all crimes in England and Wales, with 5,000 of them responsible for one in 10 offences. The response of the criminal justice system "should be personalised and differentiated to tackle the underlying causes of the offending behaviour in order to better address the likelihood of the individual reoffending."

The report concedes: "The actual and perceived level of antisocial behaviour remains unacceptably high."

It proposes "new types of summary powers" and an extension of existing ones such as on-the-spot fines even though Lord Phillips of Worth Maltravers, the Lord Chief Justice, expressed concern last week about a "slippery slope" of diverting more crimes away from the courts. The report proposes "greater use" of new technology such as biometric data; mobile fingerprint readers; automatic number plate recognition and using saliva rather than blood tests to detect drugs. But it acknowledges the need for "stronger safeguards" to reassure public concern over a "Big Brother" state.

Mr Blair wants to extend his public sector reforms to a criminal justice system which has "yet to deliver a major-step change in performance". Proposals include contracting out some functions, such as court administration, to private firms and opening "virtual courts" using video technology in police stations.

The key recommendations

* Greater use of non-custodial sentences. The prison population has risen from 60,000 to 80,000 since 1997.

* Greater focus on rehabilitation because only 30 per cent of prisoners have employment, training or education arranged on their release.

* More flexible approach which "targets the offender, not the offence".

* Mentally ill people convicted of less serious offences to receive non-custodial sentences and support. More serious offenders with mental problems could be held in "hybrid" prisons.

* More help for drug offenders in and out of prison. Only 28,000 of the 78,000 addicts who go to prison each year receive high quality treatment.

* Greater use of summary justice such as spot fines.

* Police to get the power to confiscate people's driving licences and seize more types of vehicles for longer to combat antisocial behaviour. Also, a "major step-up" in seizing criminals' assets.