Wednesday, 1 June 2005

Alexander: Jail for punishment, not profit

Claims that the Government and their Green accomplices want to protect against prison abuse by rewarding criminals with cash payouts deserves only one response, United Future law and order spokesman Marc Alexander said today: "Yeah right."

"No one I know wants prisoner abuse, including the victims of crime themselves. But equally, they don't want to go on having a legal relationship with their offenders for no other reason than to take off them their financial windfalls.

"The best protection against inmate abuse is to punish those responsible, not to reward the crims!" Mr Alexander said in response to Labour and the Greens' "disgraceful deal" on the Prisoners' and Victims' Claims Bill.

"If prison guards abuse prisoners then they should be charged and appear in court. Why should prisoners be handed a wad of cash for alleged abuse while the victims of the crime that got them behind bars are left without any compensation from them?

"Let's not forget why the criminals are in prison in the first place. If they don't like it, don't commit the crime and don't come back

"In the end, all victims want is that the sentences given to their offenders stick; that the criminal justice system is on their side - not the criminal's; and that they get a chance to get on with their lives.

'This Bill does nothing but force victims to confront their offenders all over again," he said.

ENDS

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