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Overcrowded prisons are costing us dear, claim Liberal Democrats
November 20, 2007 10:30 AM
Nick Clegg MP and Bridget Fox want practical action to tackle crime
Lord Phillips, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, last week admitted that prison overcrowding is at a critical level because of the government's sentencing policy. His comments echo criticisms of local campaigners who have been calling for a more common-sense approach to sentencing.
Liberal Democrat candidate for Islington South & Finsbury, Bridget Fox, says, "I've been listening to local people's views; over two thirds of Islington residents I spoke to agree that we should make more use of community-based sentences for petty crime, to free up space in prison for the most serious and violent offenders."
Earlier this year, there was controversy when cells at Highbury Corner magistrates' court were used to hold prisoners because of overcrowding at Pentonville. Liberal Democrats have revealed that using court cells costs the taxpayer around £1,800 a time - more than a night at the Ritz.
Bridget adds, "When Pentonville prison is overcrowded, it is Islington services that have to fill the gap. Prison overcrowding is bad news all round. Bad for communities, because dangerous criminals may go free; bad for taxpayers, because stopgap measures cost more; bad for prison officers, because overcrowded prisons are difficult and dangerous to run; and bad news for prisoners, because their chances of education and rehabilitation go down the drain.
"Prisons are full of people who shouldn't be there in the first place, while dangerous criminals are let out early to ease overcrowding. It's a mess, and it puts Islington communities under pressure.
"We need treatment for addicts and the mentally ill; community sentences for petty crime; and proper sentences for the worst crimes."
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