I have commented before that one of my main motivators in backing Nick was my experience of having worked with him on the Crime Policy working group. His radical cutting edge really comes to the fore in looking for a new radical liberal approach to dealing with crime. Having blogged on the prisons issue earlier today I am delighted to here that Nick has come out all guns blazing to take on the lunacy of this bankrupt government.
Nick has said:
“At last the lunacy of this government’s strategy of mass incarceration is finally being condemned for what it is. A mixture of penal populism and utter administrative incompetence from the Government has produced one of the worst prison systems in the Western world.
“I hope the public now realise that and ever expanding prison population is, perversely, making them less safe rather than safer from the scourge of crime.
“92% of young men who go into prisons on short-term prison sentences now go on to reoffend within a matter of months. This Government has turned prisons into universities of crime and all the Conservatives can say is that we need more of the same.
“That is why the radical initiatives of the Liberal Democrats on prison reform must now be accepted in full.”
Nick Clegg led a campaign as Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman - ‘Making Prison Work’.
‘Making Prison Work’ called for the following initiatives:
The introduction of local community courts in which offenders must face their victims and members of the community and make up for the harm they have done.
Making training and education compulsory in all prisons
Creating a victim compensation fund, paid for by contributions from prisoners’ paid work
Moving the vast numbers of prisoners with acute mental health conditions out of prison altogether and into specialised secure treatment facilities. 1 in 10 prisoners is functionally psychotic.
Moving lower-level drug offenders into secure treatment facilities
Creating a real hard-work alternative to short-term prison sentences, which merely act as a temporary break in the criminal careers of repeat offenders.
PS: My fonts and colours have fallen off for some reason so apologies for the black ink and boring font!
1 comment:
So, was "Making Prison Work" actually intended to overturn existing policy on drugs:
Moving lower-level drug offenders into secure treatment facilities as opposed to ending the ludicrous situation that makes them "offenders" in the first place?
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