Finding effective ways of dealing with offenders essential - Lamb

11.32.50am GMT Thu 23rd Sep 2004

Speaking in yesterday's debate on 21st Century policing at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Party conference, Norman Lamb called for more effective ways of dealing with offenders, and condemned current high reoffending rates.

He said:

"Our starting point is that the rule of law is the foundation stone of a liberal and democratic society.

"We are intolerant of crime because it destroys people's lives, it ruins communities. It plays havoc with the civil liberties of victims of crime.

"Our challenge is to find effective ways of dealing with offenders."

The full text of Norman Lamb's speech is given:

"This has been a remarkable week.

Unity of purpose, confidence in our beliefs and our message and a true sense of optimism.

But as we build our case as a prospective party of government - it is particularly important that we convince voters that we can be trusted on crime and disorder.

We have to destroy the myth peddled by both the Tories and Labour - that we are soft on crime.

And we have to expose the dismal failure of both parties in government:

• 59% of prisoners reconvicted within two years of release

• 70% of youth offenders

that's the Blunkett way to protect the public: and it doesn't work.

In my previous life as a solicitor I saw so many teenagers drifting into a life of crime - never forced to confront the consequences of their offending - never forced to repay the victim.

Our starting point is that the rule of law is the foundation stone of a liberal and democratic society.

We are intolerant of crime because it destroys people's lives, it ruins communities. It plays havoc with the civil liberties of victims of crime.

Our challenge is to find effective ways of dealing with offenders.

I recently heard of a scheme which required vandals who had destroyed bus shelters to pay for the cost of repair and learn how to repair them.

We should make this the rule, not the exception.

Punishment of non-violent offenders should, where possible, be focussed on the community affected - paying back that community for the loss suffered.

As for prisons - education is a 'Cinderella' service, under resourced - and there is no requirement on prisoners to attend.

If they choose not to turn up - they don't.

And yet typically the literacy and numeracy of a prisoner is that of an 11 year old.

It is a real barrier to a job on release if ever there was one.

Requiring prisoners to learn or to work is surely a better way.

Imaginative and effective schemes are emerging here and there.

TRANSO together with the Prince's Trust has developed a programme to take young offenders out of prison during the working day and give them work laying pipelines - learning new skills and many are employed by TRANSCO on release.

The re-offending rate has been cut from 70% to 7%.

Our target is to make this approach NOT the exception but the rule.

Labour isn't tough on crime: it has failed.

Our approach can make a real difference. "