Plaid Conference ’09: Plaid MP calls for ‘honest and open’ debate of prison system

Plaid’s Westminster leader, Elfyn Llwyd MP, has called for an ‘honest and open’ political debate on the future of the prison and justice system.

During the debate entitled ‘Should we lock more people up?’, held yesterday at the party’s conference in Llandudno, Mr Llwyd argued that the current prison system in Wales and England was too over-crowded to be efficient or effective - especially given the significant number of re-offenders.

Plaid’s Hywel Williams MP and Elfyn Llwyd MP have successfully campaigned for the establishment of a prison in Caernarfon given the significant numbers of prisoners kept long distances away over the border.

Mr Llwyd also warned that in the election run-up the London parties would seek to make political capital by talking tough on crime, but that, without a wider debate on the state of the prison system, they would be guilty of failing society by not addressing the root problems.

Plaid’s Westminster leader, Elfyn Llwyd MP said:

“It is high time that a political debate was held about the future of the prison system in England and Wales. The rates of re-offence are shockingly high and I believe we send too many people to jail. It’s not a matter of leniency or going soft on criminals but the fact of the matter is that the system is inefficient as a result of over-crowding, not enough facilities and budget cuts.

“There are many issues that need to be addressed. We don’t have a women-only prison in Wales for example, while a staggering proportion of criminals end up behind bars because of drugs.

"Prison is not an easy subject to discuss, but it is one that must be brought to the fore as the current system is clearly failing. We must look for different solutions and politicians should lead an honest and open debate on the future of our prison and justice system.

“One issue that must certainly be part of this debate is the need for Wales to take control of its own criminal justice and policing systems, through which we would be able to begin to address these issues in their Welsh context."