Prisoner releases: predictable ending to 10 year story of failed crime policy - Hughes

5.06.45pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 19th Jun 2007

Responding to the government announcement that some inmates serving jail terms of four years or less will be released early to ease prison overcrowding in England and Wales, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Simon Hughes MP, said:

"Today's prisoner release statement is the final chapter of a ten year story of failed criminal justice policy with a predictable ending.

"This is a final embarrassment for the departing Prime Minister, which undermines public confidence in criminal justice and does nothing to prevent reoffending across the country.

"These crisis measures are not the fault of prison governors and judges but are solely the responsibility of Labour ministers and Labour policy.

"Today's overflowing prisons is a crisis which should have been predicted and reverted by each of Labour's four Home Secretaries.

"The fact that we were going to run into the buffers was obvious to the Lord Chancellor and his ministers before 9th May when the Ministry of Justice was created.

"Ministers cannot really think that the public believes that release on licence is anything other than early release by another unconvincing name.

"It is time to end the madness of 10 years of failed policies which will see England & Wales, already with the highest prison population in western Europe, still committed to building between 8000 to 20,000 more prison places.

"Gordon Brown must change direction, so that we have policies for punishment which cut crime and reoffending and don't increase them."

ENDS