To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the (a) economic and (b) social effects of reoffending by area in England in each of the last five years.
Answered on
14 March 2022
The economic and social cost of reoffending in England and Wales is approximately £18 billion per year. However, this figure cannot be broken down by geographical area.
The Prisons Strategy White Paper, published in December 2021, sets out the Government’s ambitious plans to reduce reoffending. We will spend £200 million a year by 2024-25 to improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment and further measures for early intervention to tackle youth offending. This builds on the Beating Crime Plan, published in July 2021, in which this Government committed to beat crime and swiftly bring criminals to justice.
We will also introduce new personalised Resettlement Passports, which will be set up prior to release and will bring together the key information and services that an individual needs to resettle into society.
This investment will protect the public, help individuals turn their backs on crime and reduce the cost of reoffending to society.