Prisons no longer place for punishment, ministers say

‘Prisons are no longer places for punishment, ministers have said after the phrase was excluded from the first legal definition of the purpose of jails.
A new Prison and Courts Bill, proposed by Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary, tells prison governors they must protect the public, reform and rehabilitate offenders, prepare prisoners for life outside and be safe and secure.
The legislation does not place any obligation on prisons to punish offenders, reigniting the row over so-called “holiday camp” jails.
Critics suggested Ms Truss had “gone soft on crime”, but the Ministry of Justice insisted that the courts punished offenders by sending them to prison, and that no further punishment was necessary once they were locked up.’
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