Labour and the Tories have failed on youth justice
3 Sep 2009
Commenting on today's [Thursday] report by the Prison Reform Trust on ways to reduce the number of young people in custody, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson, Paul Holmes said:
"For nearly three decades, attempts by Labour and Tory governments to look tough have led to policies on youth justice that do not work.
"The result is one of the highest rates of child incarceration in the developed world and a sure-fire way of turning troubled kids into adult criminals.
"This excellent report from the Prison Reform Trust outlines international examples from which we must learn. It is time to stop talking about reducing the child prison population and time to start taking steps to make it happen."