Edward Garnier

Conservative Party | Harborough

Garnier : Labour failing to break cycle of violent crime

Responding to new Government figures showing that serious re-offending has increased since 2000, Shadow Justice  Minister and MP for Harborough, Oadby & Wigston, Edward Garnier said:

"After a decade of Government claims on reducing re-offending, we now learn that serious violent and sexual crimes committed by released prisoners are rising.  With record levels of overcrowding, drugs flowing freely and  inadequate rehabilitation in our jails, it is little wonder that prisoners are   not deterred from a career in crime.

"Ministers may have tried to conceal the full extent of re-offending by fiddling the figures, but  the public, and prison officers  in particular, understand the massive failure of Labour's prison policy - which is why the  Prison Officers' Conference  gave a vote of no confidence in Jack Straw this week.

He added:

"The Government has failed to break the cycle of re-offending.  We will build enough  additional  prison places to deal with overcrowding and  bring in a rehabilitation revolution to reduce re-offending and make Britain safer."