Crime: The Liberal Democrats aren’t soft on crime. Serious and repeat offenders must be dealt according to the law but that does not mean I believe in adopting a broad brush approach to all crime. We must tackle the root causes of crime and better prevent people turning to this behaviour in the first place.
Prisons: For minor offenders prison is not the answer. We should explore ways in which to give the victims of these types of offences more say in bringing offenders to account. I have long been, and continue to be through my position as trustee for Unlock, heavily involved in supporting the rehabilitation of ex-offenders back into society. For those who warrant it our help should not be half hearted but full and committed to providing them with the platform to progress in life.
Mark Oaten