Liberal Democrats want to spare even more criminals from prison | Politics | News

The Liberal Democrats want to work to save hundreds of criminals from prison sentences.

This appeal comes despite warnings that the early release of prisoners last week posed a risk of further “serious crimes”.

British Home Office spokesman Alistair Carmichael told activists that fewer people needed to be locked up because prisons were “overcrowded, understaffed and failing to adequately rehabilitate offenders.”

He will table a motion at the party's annual conference in Brighton calling for “a presumption against short prison sentences of 12 months”.

This would mean that criminals currently sentenced to a year or less in prison would instead receive “rehabilitation in the community.”

3,043 people are in prison serving sentences of 12 months or less. Shorter sentences are often given for crimes such as shoplifting, assault, assault on emergency workers or possession of knives.

Many prisoners sentenced to shorter terms are repeat offenders or have violated the terms of a suspended sentence.

Last week, there were scenes of jubilation outside prisons when 1,700 prisoners were released early after the Labour government reduced the length of time many prisoners must spend in prison from 50 percent of their sentence to 40 percent.

The Ministry of Justice said the move was unavoidable as prisons were on the verge of collapse due to overcrowding, but Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, said “around a third” of inmates would reoffend.

And he warned: “This significant increase in dismissals will inevitably lead to an increased risk of recall and recidivism and, unfortunately, also to a small risk that further serious crimes will be committed.”

Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti said: “At a time when the public is concerned about Labour's early release of prisoners, the Liberal Democrats want to go further and ensure criminals do not end up in prison in the first place.

“Such an assumption would be extremely dangerous and would practically be a green light for crime.”

The Liberal Democrats' party conference began yesterday with debates on lifting Sunday shopping restrictions and a call for Britain to join an EU youth mobility scheme. The version backed by the Liberal Democrats would give EU and British citizens aged 35 or under the automatic right to live or work in any part of the EU or Britain.

The Liberal Democrats are enjoying huge popularity after once again becoming the third largest party in the House of Commons, guaranteeing their leader a weekly Question Time with the Prime Minister and other perks such as the right to chair some Commons committees.