However, I don’t agree that the public has lost confidence in community sentences.
In 2011-12, West Yorkshire Probation Trust managed more than 10,500 offenders in the community on Community Sentences and on licence from prison. More than 90 per cent of those offenders successfully completed their sentences.
This first paragraph is simply laughable - I shall not bother to comment.
Now let us consider what 'successfully completed their sentences' actually means.
It will not take into account breaches; I am as sure as I can be that his '90%' will include those who have been returned to court and threatened - sometimes more than once; it will include those who have not been caught when committing further offences; it will include those who finished sentences early on the advice of Probation Officers and after all that - does 'successful' mean that they did not reoffend after their sentence was complete?
I could go on but I think you have the gist!
