HC Deb 28 June 1979 vol 969 cc626-8
4. Mr. Ioan Evans

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given to the subject of alternatives to imprisonment as a form of punishment.

Mr. Brittan

We are considering how the existing wide range of non-custodial penalties can best be maintained and improved as well as examining any fresh suggestions which are put forward for alternatives to imprisonment.

Mr. Evans

In view of the situation in our overcrowded prisons, will the hon. and learned Gentleman consider proposing radical alternatives to imprisonment as a method of preventing further crime? Will his Department consider discussing with the Lord Chancellor advising magistrates' courts to use the suspended sentence where appropriate, and will it review the list of offences which now lead to imprisonment with a view to establishing radical alternatives?

Mr. Brittan

I entirely agree that, in view of the overcrowding in prisons, any measures which can be taken which would lead to people who ought not to be in prison being treated in a different way are worthy of the most serious consideration. In particular, the proposals of the Expenditure Committee are being considered. I think that we should continue to look at the whole range of alternatives which now exist, seek to expand them where possible, and also look at any fresh ones which may become available.

Mr. Aitken

Will my hon. and learned Friend give special consideration to introducing weekend prisons into our penal system? Is he aware that this is an effective form of punishment, that it costs a great deal less in public expenditure than the present cost of keeping a man in prison—which I believe to be more than £100 a week—and that it has worked very well in New Zealand and Scandinavia?

Mr. Brittan

The resource implications of doing that have yet to be studied in full, but it is one of the proposals under examination.

Mr. McNally

Is the Minister aware that one of the best alternatives to prison is still that provided by the probation service? Further, is he aware that many probation officers now consider that they are in a second-class service and are being so treated by the present Government? Will he put his prestige behind the probation service, in contrast to the attitude expressed in some of the more primeval grunts about law and order which come from his own Back Benches?

Mr. Brittan

I do not think that anyone doubts the importance of the probation service, and I assure the hon. Gentleman that this Government fully recognise the valuable role which it has to play.