The Lords committee says prisons should focus on reducing reoffending, not just punishment
The Ministry of Justice has been called on to define a clear and consistent purpose for prisons in England and Wales, as a House of Lords committee warns that the current system lacks direction and fails to reduce reoffending.
In a report published today, the Lords justice and home affairs committee said the government should urgently articulate what prisons are meant to achieve, arguing that doing so would help drive reform and build public support for evidence-based strategies. The report is the result of an extensive inquiry into prison purpose, leadership, and oversight.
The committee said there is confusion about whether prisons should prioritise punishment, public protection, rehabilitation, or preparation for reintegration into society. “Prisons play a role in punishment, protecting the public, reducing reoffending, and preparing prisoners for lives outside. But there is lack of clarity about which of these should be given priority,” the report states.
Committee members concluded that imprisonment itself is the punishment, and that once a person is incarcerated, the priority should shift to reducing reoffending. “The punishment is the deprivation of liberty,” they wrote. “Beyond that, prisoners should be treated with dignity as human beings who are capable of change and deserving of the opportunity to rebuild their self-esteem and their lives.”
Embed from Getty ImagesLord Foster of Bath, who chairs the committee, said the current purpose of prison appears to be little more than “just containment.” He told The Gazette that the lack of a clear mission leads to missed opportunities to reduce reoffending and make communities safer.
“Prison should be about more than punishment,” Foster said. “If you reduce reoffending, you also protect the public by reducing crime. So we need to invest in what works—mental health support, addiction treatment, and skills training that leads to employment.”
The report also points to a widespread failure to deliver rehabilitative opportunities. Foster said overcrowding was a major issue, but added that “far too many workshops and classrooms remain empty,” leaving prisoners idle for most of the day. This idleness, the committee argues, contributes to restlessness and violence within prisons.
The committee is urging the Ministry of Justice to publish a mission statement that places rehabilitation and reducing reoffending at its heart. This statement, they say, should be widely communicated across the prison estate, throughout government departments, and to the general public.
Such a declaration, the report argues, would help foster greater political and public backing for approaches proven to reduce crime—many of which involve addressing the underlying causes of offending behaviour. These include poor mental health, substance dependency, and low education levels.
While the report does not shy away from recognising prison’s role in punishment and protection, it insists that any successful criminal justice policy must be underpinned by a long-term strategy to support change and reintegration.
The Ministry of Justice has not yet responded to the committee’s recommendations. However, the findings land at a time of growing concern about prison capacity and persistently high reoffending rates. Critics have accused successive governments of relying too heavily on incarceration while failing to invest in the very programmes that make communities safer in the long run.
The report makes clear that if the justice system is to be effective, prisons must become places of purpose—not just places of punishment.