The home secretary, David Blunkett's "bang 'em up" reputation is so strong among judges and magistrates that Whitehall officials have had to show film clips of his Commons performances to convince them that his policy is not to jail minor offenders.

Martin Narey, head of the newly merged prisons and probation services, told Guardian Society that magistrates were "pretty dumbfounded" to be told that Mr Blunkett did not want them to send people to prison, particularly for very short, ineffective prison sentences.