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No soft option
It seems a little contradictory for
The Argus to back Tory calls for
"the Government to either create
more space for prisoners or cut
crime" (The Argus , May 5), in the
same week that police reported a
15% drop in crime across Brighton
and Hove.
Nick Herbert's populist "lock
'em all up" call will no doubt resonate
at a superficial level with
anyone who has been a victim of
crime, as I have. However,
Britain's jails are already full with
those caught and convicted. While
many criminals, particularly those
guilty of violent offences, belong in
prison for the safety of the public,
others will only fall further into a
criminal way of life by spending
time behind bars.
Far from being a "soft option",
community punishments bring
home to offenders the consequences
of their actions, while at
the same time giving something
back to the communities and individuals
they have harmed. I am
sure many people would support
offenders doing unpaid work that
benefits their communities rather
than seeing them shut away at
enormous expense to the taxpayer,
only for them to reoffend on release.
If being given a community punishment
leads offenders away from
crime and puts them back into
employment and contributing to
society, then I would support that
rather than sending repeat offenders
back to prison time and time
again. The evidence from falling
crime figures is that the Government's
approach is working.
Warren Morgan,
Labour councillor for East Brighton,
Brighton and Hove City Council
2:07pm Friday 9th May 2008
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