21-06-2007

The General Secretary of the Prison Governors Association has welcomed the early release scheme for convicts – but warns that unless the government resists new crime crackdowns, they’ll face the same problems again.

Talking exclusively to The Stirrer, Charles Bushell said the decision to reduce offenders’ sentences by 18 days was “commonsense”.

He insisted that it would make a major contribution to reducing over-crowding in jails, but reckoned the politicians should use this one-off opportunity to have a major re-think.

“The government shouldn’t have been enacting legislation as enthusiastically as they have, unless they had the wherewithal to lock people up,” he said.

“Yet on the day of the early release announcement, the Chancellor was making another announcement about tougher penalties for people who carry out crimes on the trains.

“If the nett effect of that is we have 2,000 more people inside, we’ll be bust again.”

Bushell stressed that he’s not opposed to long prison terms for those who deserve it. His point is that the government shouldn’t demand tough sentences without ensuring that they system can cope.

“I’ve got no objection to locking bad bastards up. I’ve been doing that for years. But we’ve got to make sure there’s somewhere for them to go.”