All Options
Think tank: Centre for Social Justice
Author(s): Adrian Crossley
May 11, 2025
This report from UK think tank Centre for Social Justice makes the case for a different and better kind of custodial sentence.
Through the course of this paper, the case will be made for the introduction of a new custodial sentence for the criminal courts, the Intensive Control and Rehabilitation Order (ICRO).
This new sentence would be served in the community, using Electronic Monitoring, curfew requirements and regular periodic reviews before the court. The availability and development of technology means that we can go further than ever before in seeking alternatives to custody which robustly punish the offender, while safeguarding the public and commanding the confidence of sentencers.
The ICRO presents an opportunity for individuals to serve their sentence without ever being separated from their families – saving thousands of children from the trauma of parental imprisonment. It would also allow for individuals to engage in work and education programmes in the community to pay back the community and their victim where this is achievable.
