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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Lizzie Dearden

‘Creative use of punishment’: Covid-style lockdowns proposed for criminals in England and Wales

Wandsworth prison in London, found to be overcrowded and infested with vermin by a report in August 2024
Wandsworth prison in London, found to be overcrowded and infested with vermin by a report in August 2024. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Conditions similar to Covid lockdowns should be imposed on criminals as an alternative to overflowing prisons, barristers have told the government.

In an official submission to an ongoing sentencing review led by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, the Bar Council called for consideration of more “creative use of punishment”. Ideas put forward by the body, which represents barristers in England and Wales, include enhanced home detention measures for non-violent offenders and “part-time prisons” that would help inmates reintegrate into society.

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