AMs back call to give prisoners the vote

A report released last month revealed Wales has the highest rate of imprisonment in western Europe - with 154 of every 100,000 people living in Wales in prison. This is compared with 141 per 100,000 in England.

The Wales Governance Centre report also found women and those from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds generally received harsher sentences.

And a debate on the report - including a proposal to allow prisoners to vote in Welsh elections - was held in the Assembly earlier this week.

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Opening the debate, ex-Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood - who previously worked as a probation officer - said the criminal justice system "is failing our communities".

"Looking at rates of imprisonment across Wales, we also know that Wales's most deprived communities have higher rates of incarceration," she said.

"There is a clear link between poverty and crime and the treatment of working-class offenders by the courts.

"Inequality is built into the heart of our justice system, whether that's racial, gender, class or geographic inequality."

Ex-Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood

Blaenau Gwent AM Alun Davies said key to being able to address the problems was to demand the devolution of the justice system.

Calling the joint England and Wales jurisdiction "a relic of history", the Labour AM said: "We need to design a system that meets Welsh needs."

Blaenau Gwent AM Alun Davies

Speaking at the end of the debate, the Welsh Government's chief whip Jane Hutt said: "We need to gain a better understanding of why people end up in prison and what we could do to prevent them from going to prison, often for short sentences, which, as has been said, can have a devastating impact on their lives and the lives of their families and communities.

"We recognise the need to protect our communities from harm and where we cannot divert people away from crime in the first place, we must ensure that all we do is in a holistic and rehabilitative way."

Chief whip Jane Hutt

Although AMs voted to support a motion which included a call for prisoners to be given the vote, this is non-binding on the Welsh Government.

Meanwhile, Islwyn MP Chris Evans led a debate in Parliament earlier this week on short prison sentences, during which he argued sentences of up to six months should be scrapped in favour of more rehabilitative work.

Saying "All of the evidence stacks up to show that shorter sentences do not work", the Labour MP pointed out that studies had shown around 63 per cent of people who served sentences of less than 12 months re-offended within a year of release.

He said he did not believe short prison terms provided enough time to carry out rehabilitation and treatment for underlying issues such as drugs use, and instead called for more use of community service.

Islwyn MP Chris Evans

Mr Evans added: "To me, short sentences do not help to reduce reoffending and they can cause unnecessary disruption to the lives of those who could have been dealt with in ways that have seen better results."

The Assembly's Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, which is chaired by Newport East AM John Griffiths, is currently carrying out an inquiry into giving prisoners the vote. A consultation into the idea closed in January and the committee is now considering the evidence.

The Welsh Government's official position is to support the devolution of justice.