David Burrowes MP

Conservative Party | Enfield Southgate

Action needed to stop criminals re-offending and cut crime – David Burrowes MP

New proposals on prison reform to restore confidence and drive down re-offending

 

Criminals serving community sentences in Enfield Southgate will be made to wear high-visibility overalls, while those in jail will have to work to compensate their victims, under new policies unveiled by Conservatives. David Burrowes MP, who has Shadow Justice Minister has been involved in writing the new policy, welcomed this week a series of proposals by David Cameron to restore confidence in the criminal justice system, reform prisons and cut re-offending to break the cycle of crime.

 

This comes as the latest Government figures show that 242 criminals in HMP Pentonville and 199 criminals in HMP Holloway criminals have been let out early by the Government, simply because there is not enough space in prisons to house them. Prison overcrowding also means that less attention is paid to reforming, educating and rehabilitating prisoners.

 

Under the new Conservative plans:

·          Courts will set a minimum and a maximum period of time in jail. Prisoners would no longer have an automatic early release, and would have to serve a guaranteed minimum sentence.

·          Those prisoners who prove the most unwilling to engage in rehabilitation programmes or stay off drugs will remain in custody the longest.

·          Community sentences would be made tough, with prisoners being made to wear high-visibility overalls and new sanctions imposed – such as withdrawing benefits – for those who did not attend.

·          Prisoners will be made to work in prison to raise money to compensate victims through a Victims Fund.

·          Greater resources will be provided for rehabilitation, and prison governors would be responsible for offenders after they are released – not just when they are in prison.

·          More foreign national prisoners will be deported, and prison capacity will be increased.

 

David Burrowes MP said:

“Being sent to prison means someone has committed a serious offence. Yet Labour is giving criminals a break, by letting them loose on Enfield Southgate’s streets. Serious crimes should be punished by a prison sentence, to protect the public and deter would-be criminals. But it is important that our prisons rehabilitate people, rather than simply warehousing them. Two out of three ex-prisoners are reconvicted within two years of release.”

 

He added:

“I welcome these new policies to ensure proper punishments for criminals – and stop them from committing more crime when they are released.”

 

Notes to Editors

 

For further information, please contact Rebecca Smith on 0207 219 5414

 

PRISONS WITH A PURPOSE

 

The Conservative ‘Green Paper’ on prison reform was published on 3 March 2008. The full document is available at: http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=142687

 

It calls for:

 

·          Introducing honesty in sentencing so courts set a minimum and a maximum period of incarceration.

 

·          Replacing automatic release with earned release.

 

·          Making community sentences tough and effective, with new sanctions including withdrawal of benefits for those who do not attend, and high-visibility overalls when they work in the community.

 

·          Enforcing Drug Rehabilitation Requirements by contracting with private and third sector organisations to operate treatment programmes and pay them by results.

 

·          Offenders will compensate victims through a Victims’ Fund.  Those serving custodial sentences will pay into the Fund through work in prison.

 

·          Public sector prisons will become ‘Prison and Rehabilitation Trusts’, with a single governor responsible for offenders after they are released as well as in prison.

 

·          Prison and Rehabilitation Trusts and private sector prisons will be paid by results – with a premium awarded if the offender is not reconvicted within two years.  A rehabilitation revolution will unlock money currently used to reconvict and accommodate offenders who commit more crime and end up back in prison: up to £259 million a year by 2017, or £2,500 for every prisoner discharged.

 

·          Encouraging social enterprises to expand prison industries where inmates can do proper work, learn skills and be paid. 

 

·          Accelerating the deportation of foreign national prisoners.

 

·          Selling off old prisons and rejuvenate the prison estate. Redevelopment plans will increase prison capacity by more than 5,000 places over and above Labour’s plans, to end overcrowding by 2016.

 

LOCAL FIGURES

 

The Government is trying to deal with the continuing crisis in prison places by watering down sentences and attempting to restrict the ability of courts to send offenders to prison. They have published figures showing the number of criminals that have already been let out of prison early, under the Government’s early release scheme.

 

The figures below show the number let out from June 2007 to January 2008.

 

Source: Ministry of Justice, End of Custody Licence Statistics, February 2008.

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm

Prison	Address	Govt region	Early releases to date
East Midlands			2301
Foston Hall	Foston, Derby, Derbyshire, DE65 5DN	East Midlands	146
Glen Parva	10 Tigers Road, Wigston, Leicester, LE18 4TN	East Midlands	442
HMP Ashwell	Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7LF	East Midlands	64
HMP Leicester	Welford Road, Leicester, LE2 7AJ	East Midlands	145
HMP Lincoln	Greetwell Road, Lincoln, LN2 4BD	East Midlands	164
HMP Nottingham	Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 3AG	East Midlands	253
HMP Onley	Willoughby, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 8AP	East Midlands	283
HMP Ranby	Retford, Notts, DN22 8EU	East Midlands	285
HMP Rye Hill	Willoughby, Nr Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 8SZ	East Midlands	2
HMP Stocken	Stocken Hall Road, Stretton, Nr Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7RD	East Midlands	120
HMP Sudbury	Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 5HW	East Midlands	93
HMP Wellingborough	MillersPark, Doddington Road, Wellingborough, NN8 2NH	East Midlands	31
Morton Hall	Swinderby, Lincoln, LN6 9PT	East Midlands	20
NorthCampSea	Freiston, Boston, Lincs, PE22 0QX	East Midlands	253
East of England			1717
HMP and YOI Bulwood Hall	High Road, Hockley, Essex, SS5 4TE	Eastern	30
HMP Bedford	St Loyes St, Bedford, MK40 1HG	Eastern	413
HMP Blundestone	Blundestone, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 5BG	Eastern	30
HMP Edmunds Hill	Stradishall, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9YN	Eastern	242
HMP Highpoint	Stradishall, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9YG	Eastern	91
HMPHollesleyBay	Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 3JW	Eastern	173
HMP Littlehey	Perry, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 0SR	Eastern	6
HMP Peterborough	Saville Road, Westfield, Peterborough, PE3 7PD	Eastern	445
HMP Warren Hill	Hollesley, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 3JW	Eastern	1
HMP Wayland	Griston, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 6RL	Eastern	45
HMP/YOI Norwich	Knox Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 4LU	Eastern	200
YOI Chelmsford	200 Springfield Road, Chemsford, Essex, CM2 6LQ	Eastern	41
London			1605
HMP Belmarsh	Western Way, Thamesmead, London, SE28 0EB	London	45
HMP Brixton	Jebb Avenue, Brixton, London, SW2 5XF	London	143
HMP Bronzefield	Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3JZ	London	307
HMP Feltham	Bedfont Road, Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 4ND	London	4
HMP Pentonville	Caledonian Road, London, N7 8TT	London	242
HMP Wandsworth	PO Box 757, Heathfield Road, Wandsworth, London, SW18 3HS	London	249
HMP Wormwood Scrubs	PO Box 757, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0AE	London	416
HMP/YOI Holloway	Parkhurst Road, London, N7 0HU	London	199
North East			1167
HMP Acklington	Nr Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 9XF	North East	92
HMP and YOI Castington	Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 9XG	North East	72
HMP Durham	Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HU	North East	371
HMP Low Newton	Brasside, Durham, DH1 5YA	North East	193
HMYOI Deerbolt	Bowes Road, Barnard Caste, County Durham, DL12 9BG	North East	173
Holme House	Holme House Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 2QU	North East	263
Kirklevington Grange	Yarm, Cleveland, TS15 9PA	North East	3
North West			3244
Buckley Hall	Buckley Hall Road, Rochdale, Lancs, OL12 9DP	North West	38
HMP Altcourse	Higher Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L9 7LH	North West	432
HMP Forest Bank	Agecroft Road, Pendlebury, Manchester, M27 8FB	North West	232
HMP Garth