PRISON OVERCROWDING AND CRIME

Early day motion 1044, tabled 20 March 2002 by Paul Stinchcombe (Labour). Signed by 30 members.

That this House notes that there are now about 70,000 prisoners in England and Wales, more than ever before; notes further that holding more and more prisoners in overcrowded prisons significantly reduces the opportunities to rehabilitate those prisoners through education, training and drugs reduction programmes; notes also that, because of overcrowding, prisoners are more frequently held many miles from their home town, leading to pressure on their family lives, when it has been demonstrated that keeping family relations together reduces the likelihood of re-offending upon release many-fold; and therefore calls upon Her Majesty's Government to tackle prison overcrowding as a very high priority in its robbery reduction initiative.

Signatures by party: Labour 20, Liberal Democrat 7, Labour/Co-operative 2, Plaid Cymru 1.