HC Deb 03 March 1994 vol 238 c824W
Mr. Alison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made to the extent to which reducing the use of custodial sentences contributes to a reduction in the levels of crime.

Mr. Maclean

Levels of crime are affected by a wide range of factors. It is possible to make some estimate of the effect of the use of custodial sentences in terms of the incapacitation of offenders. But it is not possible to make any meaningful assessment of the overall effect of custodial sentencing on crime levels because of uncertainties surrounding the effects of other factors.