Napo said 74 per cent of prisoners serving less than 12 months in custody were reconvicted within two years. The re-offending rate for juveniles leaving the secure estate is about 70 per cent.
It wants the money saved on prison custody to go on supervising offenders in the community and setting up programmes to deal with drug abuse or violence.
The Howard League has launched a joint research project with the Prison Governors' Association that will concentrate on finding ways to reduce the need for short prison sentences.
Frances Crook, director of the Howard League, said: "Short custodial sentences are a costly and wasteful response to complex human problems that need solving. Short sentences create more crime; they don't create solutions or safety.
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