Prison violence has exploded due to Labour mismanagement - Campbell

8.37.16pm GMT Mon 5th Feb 2007

Prison violence has risen by 600% under Labour, according to research released today by the Liberal Democrats.

Parliamentary answers to the Liberal Democrats show that there were 2,342 violent incidents in prison in 1996; by 2005 this figure had risen to 13,771, the equivalent of nearly two an hour. During the same period the prison population had risen by a third.

Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell will be meeting Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, on Tuesday to discuss the link between escalating prison violence and prison overcrowding. They will also discuss the Liberal Democrats' action plan to tackle prison overcrowding.

Commenting on these figures and his meeting with Anne Owers, Menzies Campbell said:

"Ten years of Labour mismanagement of the prison and criminal justice system have left our prisons in crisis and the public at risk.

"If you keep putting people on an already crowded ship eventually the ship will start to sink.

"Prisons are so full they have become ineffective and increasingly dangerous.

"We need effective solutions. Liberal Democrat proposals will reduce the prison population, cut reoffending and ensure greater safety for the British people."

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