Short term sentences don't work (Dumfries Liberal Democrats)

Dumfries Liberal Democrats <tom@therussells.org.uk>

Short term sentences don't work

January 25, 2010 4:25 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Commenting on the Association of Scottish Superintendents' comments on summary justice reform, Liberal Democrat Justice spokesman Robert Brown said:

"Protection of the public is the number one objective. It is quite right that serious criminals committing major crimes are locked up to protect the public.

"However, it is far better to have more minor offenders doing work in the community to improve the amenities of the area and to pay back the communities they have damaged. Community sentences can also work on sorting out the drug and alcohol addiction, lack of skills and other issues that fed into them getting into a life of crime in the first place.

"Short term prison sentences cost the public purse a fortune, are not long enough to do much with the prisoners concerned and clog up the prisons. The ensuing overcrowding means the rehabilitation of serious offenders can be compromised. This is why many people regard prisons as 'colleges for criminals'. 75% of prisoners commit other offences within 2 years of release.

"The public are rightly sceptical of the failed soundbite politics we get from the Labour and Conservative parties on crime. They know as well as anyone else that short term prison sentences simply don't work."