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This article is provided courtesy of the news feed at http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news

Despite targets to reduce reoffending, half of prisoners serving short custodial sentences are not involved in work or courses and spend almost all day in their cells.

A National Audit Office (NAO) report into managing offenders serving sentences of under 12 months deemed the provision of daytime activity to be ‘generally inadequate to meet HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ standards for a healthy prison’ and said ‘more could be done’ to rehabilitate and reduce the risk of reoffending.

The National Offender Management Service (Noms) was judged to be keeping prisoners secure, safe and well, but the NAO also found only a small proportion of budget was spent on activity intended to reduce reoffending among those on short sentences.

Overcrowding and a lack of activity spaces for all prisoners were partly to blame, it said.

Some 60% of short-term prisoners are reconvicted within a year of release, at an estimated economic and social cost of between £7bn to £10bn a year.

NAO head Amyas Morse said: ‘Achieving Noms’ goal of reducing reoffending by short-sentenced prisoners is challenging both because there are so many prisoners and because of the few weeks they have in custody.

‘However, it is reasonable to expect progress towards that goal. More coherent plans for prisoners, tailored to reducing their risk of reoffending would be a good first step.’

The Ministry of Justice and Noms are developing a new strategy to improve the management of prisoners sentenced to less than 12 months, but pilots are yet to be completed.