Responding to the Justice Secretary’s speech this morning where he advocated abolishing prison sentences of six months or less, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: “I’m glad the Justice Secretary is finally accepting what the evidence – and the Liberal Democrats – have been saying for years: short prison sentences are destructive and just lead to more crime.
“But even as he makes that admission, his Tory colleagues at the Home Office are busy introducing more short prison sentences in their Offensive Weapons Bill.
“This Tory Government is saying one thing and doing another, and the Liberal Democrats demand better. Ministers must end short prison sentences and stop creating new ones.”