Clarke: Prison with a purpose

Tuesday, October 4 2011

The Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke, has today announced that the Government is to fundamentally overhaul our prisons system.

Labour allowed our prisons to become places of idleness which criminals left, reoffended, and ended up returning to again and again.

• We are going to transform prisons, to break expensive cycle of crime and prison. Prison is only a holding pen for criminals if we don't stop them re-offending when they finish their sentences.
• We are going to transform prisons, to break expensive cycle of crime and prison. Prison is only a holding pen for criminals if we don’t stop them re-offending when they finish their sentences.
• We will turn them into places of hard work and reform. Get people the work skills they need so that they can re-join society, work to a future, rather than return to a life of crime.
• We are committed to making community sentences more punitive and more effective. Community sentences must be a tough punishment which the public have faith in.

Speaking at Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Ken Clarke said:

"The idea is to provide hard work in prison so that prisoners would be doing something productive, instead of doing nothing. Plotting a more honest future, instead of plotting their next crime. Earning money to pay back to victims, Instead of creating new victims."

He also said:

"We need prisons that work. And prisons that are drug free. Where problems like addiction and mental health are tackled properly. Where the treatment doesn't suddenly stop when prisoners leave jail, which usually happens with those on short sentences but continues in the outside world so that we are better protected. If we want less crime, we need fewer criminals."