BAKER TAKES LABOUR EVEN CLOSER TO TORIES ON CRIME
Commenting on an amendment to his motion on Low Moss prison where Labour’s Justice spokesperson deleted references to how the prison will be built by traditional public procurement methods and not with PFI/PPP, SNP MSP Stuart McMillan said:
“By deleting the references to how Low Moss prison will be built be built by traditional public procurement methods and not with PFI and PPP Richard Baker is clearly sending a signal that he would back the discredited privatisation method to build our prisons.
“I’m sure the Prison Officers Association will be very interested in this development in Labour’s justice policy. Particularly since the previous leader Wendy Alexander said she welcomed the scrapping of PFI/PPP for prisons.
“It is also total hypocrisy for Richard baker to complain about prison overcrowding when this was inherited from his party and he has actively opposed the introduction of home curfew detentions which the POA are seeking to see pressure taken off our prisons.
“His opposition to community sentences is also one that only adds to the pressure on our prisons. He can’t have it both ways. Complaining about prison overcrowding whilst voting with the Tories to keep the pressure on those prisons.
“His approach is once again at odds with his party as a myriad of quotes shows and why he is not taken seriously when it comes to justice policy.”
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Labour's privatisation of prisons has brought untold damage upon the UK penal system as a whole. Two provate prisons Blakenhurst and Buckley Hall had to be taken back into control by the public sector and in 2002 the privately run Ashfield had to be run once again by the public sector after it was found unsafe for prisoners. Private Companies will, as ever, do the minimum to make a profit and ignore the social consequences. PFI has been a failed experiment across the board since introduced by teh Conservatives back in 1992 and it is tragic to see Labour continually still pluggin the virtues of private funding for public institutions despite any eveidence that it works whatsoever. The Howard League for Penal Reform are expected to shortly publish a booklet by Stephen Nathan about the continuing failures of privatisation in prisons.
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