Lords committee takes evidence on cost-effectiveness of community sentences

The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee will tomorrow be hearing from the National Audit Office and an academic as part of its inquiry on community sentences. The session will focus on the cost-effectiveness of community sentences at tackling reoffending behaviour.

Giving evidence will be: 

• Dr Juste Abramovaite, Research Fellow, Institute for Global Innovation at the University of Birmingham
• Ms Jenny George, Director, Justice value-for-money studies at the National Audit Office

Possible questions include: 

• What is the estimated cost of reoffending in England and Wales?
• What is known about the estimated cost of delivering community sentences? And of delivering short-term custodial sentences?
• How effective are community sentences at reducing reoffending? How do they compare with the effectiveness of short-term custodial sentences?
• Beyond sentencing options, what else is effective at reducing reoffending?

The session can be followed live on Tuesday 11 July from 10:30am on Parliament TV