Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and Lib Dem spokeswoman for Police, Crime and Disorder said in response to the new Government five-year strategy to reduce the re-offending rate of criminals:

“For the last nine years, the Government has failed tackle the twin scandals of prison overcrowding and reoffending.In that time many local people have fallen victim to crimes committed by people who were previously in prison or on probation.

“Today’s announcement is a welcome recognition of the value of community sentences.Too often politicians have avoided the subject for fear of being branded ‘soft’. In fact, an intensive community sentences can be far more demanding than a sentence spent sitting in a prison cell watching TV.

“It is encouraging to see the Home Secretary adopt the Liberal Democrat policy that offenders should, wherever possible, pay back their debt to the community through active work.”