Mark Oaten today spoke in Parliament about the need to re-evaluate prison sentencing in light of the ongoing and worsening prison overcrowding crisis.
Speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrats in the Westminster Hall debate on prison overcrowding and sentencing Mark Oaten criticised the Government approach to prisons and called for an end to stop gap measures and reactionary policies aimed at plugging the holes in the prison system.
He covered a number of areas including better treatment for drug users, the appalling level of self harm cases and attempted suicides in prison and the need for a more humane and understanding system towards female prisoners. One shocking statistic revealed recently by the Howard League of Penal Reform showed that there were 22,459 self-harm incidents in jails in England and Wales last year – a 37% rise in four years that far outstrips the rate of increase in the prison population by four times.
The prison population itself has risen over 20,000 since Labour came into power in 1997. The Government response has been to build more and more prisons and while accepting that certain positive changes have been suggested Mark stated that we must look to the causes of crime and how we approach sentencing and rehabilitation rather than just dealing with its effects.
Mark also pointed to the need to cut re-offending rates and provide better rehabilitation to turn ex-offenders lives around upon release back into society. In particular there were several practical steps that he highlighted which could ease this transition. Namely the availability of home insurance on an acceptable basis and the setting up of bank accounts, often a prerequisite of getting a job.
Mark Oaten