Cornish community justice ‘A step in the right direction’ – MPs
Cornwall’s five-strong team of Liberal Democrat MPs today (Monday) welcomed news that the county would be among the first to pilot Community Justice Panels, a long-standing Liberal Democrat policy.
The panels will give local people a say in where and how community sentences are served.
Commenting, North Cornwall MP, Dan Rogerson said:
“This is good news for CornwalI. Finally, the Government is acknowledging – in this small way – that merely talking tough does nothing to prevent crime. We have to make offenders repay the communities against which they offend, with hard work.
“That doesn’t mean being ‘soft’ on crime. Community sentences are a much tougher option than lying around in a prison cell for 23 hours a day.”
Falmouth and Camborne MP, Julia Goldsworthy added:
“Liberal Democrats have pioneered community justice in Somerset, where a scheme in Chard reduced re-offending to just 5%. Compare that with the fact that nearly 70% of prisoners re-offend within two years of release and it’s clear that this could be a real step towards cutting crime and its causes.
“The Liberal Democrats have long supported and championed this approach. What a shame it’s taken Labour ten years to take a single step in this direction.”
