We strongly urge the Rt Hon. Shabana Mahmood to engage with those with lived experience to solve our prison crisis. We know from our 15 years of working in the sector that co-created solutions with those with lived experience are cost effective, humane, and most importantly will lead to fewer victims and safer communities.

Creating more prison places is not the answer – because we just can’t build our way out of the crisis in the justice system. What we need is system that puts victims first, is value for money and enhances public safety. We need a range of innovative and bold alternatives to custody, produced in conjunction with those who understand what really needs to change to ensure we have a justice system that truly delivers on its objectives- and that’s people with lived experience and the communities most affected by crime.

User Voice views the upcoming Sentencing Review led by former Justice Secretary David Gauke as a potential pivotal point, facilitating the system to find alternatives to policies of just endless punishment with little purpose. We must collaborate to build a fairer justice system for all, one that deals with the causes of offending, innovates to create purposeful interventions to change the trajectories of those facing prison and provides restorative interventions for communities.

The discussion around prison places has been pushed around successive governments without any meaningful change, it has categorically not reduced reoffending – bold action is needed now to stop this cycle.

Lucie Russell