Prisons

Labour now wants to reduce prison overcrowding by allowing up to 400 female prisoners out of custodial sentences and have them work their sentence off by doing community service. Community service is there for offenders not requiring a custodial sentence. Not for prisoners to get off softly. If a custodial sentence was given at the trial that’s what they should get. Jack Straw wants to reduce the prison places even more and let out 300 by 2011 and 100 more in 2012. These are not ladies that just forgot to pay the TV licence. These are hardened criminals who have made crime a career choice.