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'Very strong case' to abolish six-month jail terms, justice secretary says

David Gauke is urging Britons to engage in a "fresh conversation" about what punishment looks like in modern times.

The prisons minister has told Sky News he is "quietly confident" he will be able to keep his job, amid indications drug taking and violence in some jails is beginning to fall
Image: Some MPs are questioning whether short jail terms are effective
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The justice secretary has said there is a "very strong case" to abolish jail sentences of six months or less.

David Gauke said prison is not working for thousands of criminals as he called for a more "imaginative" approach to crime and punishment.

Instead, he said there needs to be a greater focus on rehabilitation in the community for the 30,000 offenders - including burglars and shoplifters - who are given short sentences every year.

The MP said there is a "very strong case" to scrap sentences of six months or less, with some "closely defined exceptions" for violent offenders or those convicted of sexual offences.

Under his plan, he said short custodial terms would be replaced by "robust" community orders.

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In a speech in central London on Monday, he said: "I think now is the time for us as a society, as a country, to start a fresh conversation, a national debate about what justice, including punishment, should look like for our modern times."

Mr Gauke's comments are the clearest indication yet of the government's intention to move away from the Conservative belief that "prison works".

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Last month, prisons minister Rory Stewart also gave an indication that short jail terms could be scrapped - describing them as "long enough to damage you and not long enough to heal you".

He added: "You bring somebody in for three or four weeks, they lose their house, their job, their family, their reputation.

"They come [into prison], they meet a lot of interesting characters (to put it politely) and then you whap them on to the streets again.

"The public are safer if we have a good community sentence... and it will relieve a lot of pressure on prisons."

Justice Secretary, David Gauke, arrives in Downing Street
Image: Justice Secretary David Gauke wants to rely on 'robust' community orders instead

Mr Stewart added the move would free up 4,000 prison places and create more space for education and workshops.

The Prison Reform Trust says that almost half of prisoners in England and Wales have been sentenced to six months or less.