HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow, October 16, 2013
MANY convicts should not be in jail, the Prisoner Officers’ Association (POA) said today after figures showed the prison population has reached a new record high.
POA general secretary Steve Gillan said prisons should be reserved to “protect the public from violence and serious crimes.”
He called for “proper interventions so that people do not come to prison who shouldn’t actually need to be there, such as the mentally ill and indeed petty offenders.”
A Number 10 spokeswoman declined to comment on any private conversations between the Justice Secretary and her Estonian counterpart but pointed out “this was the policy of the former government and that this government has made no such plans or announcements with regard to Estonia.”
The announcement of a Women’s Justice Board should be cautiously welcomed, writes SABINA PRICE, but we need to see a recognition that our prison system is in crisis and disproportionately punishes some of the most vulnerable people in society
