Labour and the Tories have failed on youth justice - Holmes

"It is time to stop talking about reducing the child prison population and time to start taking steps to make it happen," said the Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson. Commenting on today’s [Thursday 3 September] report by the Prison Reform Trust on ways to reduce the number of young people in custody, Paul Holmes said:

“For nearly three decades, attempts by Labour and Tory governments to look tough have led to policies on youth justice that do not work.

“The result is one of the highest rates of child incarceration in the developed world and a sure-fire way of turning troubled kids into adult criminals.

“This excellent report from the Prison Reform Trust outlines international examples from which we must learn. It is time to stop talking about reducing the child prison population and time to start taking steps to make it happen.”

Labour’s obsession with sounding tough has left prisons dangerously overcrowded - Holmes

"These deeply troubling figures highlight the chronic failure of this Government’s prison policy," said the Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson. Commenting on today’s [Tuesday 25 August] report by the Prison Reform Trust which reveals the 20 most overcrowded jails in England and Wales, Paul Holmes said:

“These deeply troubling figures highlight the chronic failure of this Government’s prison policy.

“Labour’s obsession with sounding tough on crime has left our prisons dangerously overcrowded with sky-high re-offending rates.

“Ministers must realise the bankruptcy of their approach and focus instead on what works. This means moving drug addicts and prisoners with mental health problems into more appropriate accommodation and treatment and investing in alternatives such as restorative justice.”