the average convicted criminal serving a short prison sentence has previously carried out more than 55 offences, police figures reveal.  some repeat offenders are being sent to jail for the first time after committing 100 or more different crimes, according to the data.  the numbers – slipped out by ministers this month – suggest that most criminals going to prison have already been convicted of multiple offences in the past.  the i politics newsletter cut through the noise email address is invalid thank you for subscribing! sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.  conservative mps claimed the revelation proves the justice system is too soft on offenders, while reformers accused the government of failing to rehabilitate criminals and relying too much on prisons.  offences history  in response to a written question from tory backbencher philip davies, the ministry of justice said that the average man given a jail sentence of less than six months had committed 56.6 offences resulting in a conviction or caution, while women in the same position had 60.4 previous offences.  the figures also showed that last year, there was one offender who had carried out 93 different crimes before being sent to jail for the first time. in 2018, at least two first-time prisoners had previously been convicted of more than 100 offences.  the data come from the police national computer, which covers all police forces across the uk.  mr davies, the mp for shipley, told i: “these figures absolutely destroy the liberal-leftie orthodoxy on the criminal justice system. before people are given a short prison sentence they are given community sentence after community sentence, and this is proof that community sentences don’t work.”  but liberal democrat mp layla moran argued that the data “expose a systemic failure to rehabilitate those convicted of crimes, and to prevent reoffending”. she added: “it is deeply hypocritical of the government to talk tough on crime and grandstand on police numbers, whilst also failing to invest in rehabilitation and prevention initiatives.”  andrew neilson of the howard league for penal reform added: “sending people to prison for short spells is particularly ineffective, as these figures reveal. most people serving short prison sentences have done so before, and will almost certainly do so again. it simply isn’t working.”  the minister of justice did not respond to a request for comment.
average criminal given a short prison sentence has already committed more than 55 offences