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On 16 November 2004, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation published the report of the Coulsfield Inquiry (Crime, courts & confidence: report of an independent inquiry into alternatives to prison).
The report concludes that lack of confidence in the criminal justice system is at the root of the increasing length and severity of prison sentences. The solution lies in better community involvement, improved training for judges and magistrates and recognition that short prison sentences neither deter nor rehabilitate offenders.
The report can be viewed on the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation website