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Justice Committee report a 'comprehensive blueprint for reform' (13 January 2010)

Commenting on the Justice Committee's new report 'Cutting crime: the case for justice reinvestment', Jon Collins, Campaign Director for the Criminal Justice Alliance, said:

'Through this inquiry, the Justice Committee has conducted a thorough and wide-ranging review of criminal justice policy, something that the Government and the opposition have conspicuously failed to do.

'The criminal justice system simply cannot continue to operate as it is now, with prisons dangerously overcrowded, high reoffending rates and billions wasted on building endless new prisons. This report provides whichever party wins the forthcoming general election with a comprehensive blueprint for reform. Both main parties should seize this opportunity to end the party-political squabbling over criminal justice policy and unite behind the recommendations of this report.

'We need a new approach to criminal justice policy that combines reducing the use of prison with investment in properly-funded alternatives in the community. The principles of justice reinvestment and the practical recommendations set out in this report could make this approach a reality.'