About 30,000 repeat offenders including thieves, burglars and those caught in possession of knives will be spared jail under Government plans to abolish short sentences, a new study shows.

The analysis by think tank Civitas says the reform ending sentences under six months would result in 34,000 convicted criminals escaping prison, of which 4,000 would be first-time offenders.

Of the 30,000, some 16,000 would have been convicted of theft or burglary, 3,100 for public order, 1,625 for possession of weapons and 1,121 for drug offences, according to the study based on Ministry of Justice data.

David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, signalled the abolition of sentences under six months last week, saying they were ineffective in preventing re-offending. It followed the disclosure of the plans earlier this year by prisons minister Rory Stewart in the Daily Telegraph.

“Rory Stewart claims ending sentences below six months would help respectable people to hold onto their jobs and reputations. In reality, his own department’s data makes clear it would mean tens of thousands more hardened criminals avoiding prison,” said the report’s author Peter Cuthbertson.

“It would mean far more victims of burglary and shoplifting, drink driving and knife crime. The government must now consider the evidence rather than proceed any further with plans for an effective amnesty for burglars, shoplifters and other prolific criminals.”