Prisons overrun by minor offenders
Prison chief Martin Narey said yesterday that too many drivers were being put in the slammer for minor offences.
The Commissioner for Correctional Services said four times as many motorists were in prisons compared with a decade ago.
He said prison staff were being driven “mad” by the policy of locking up drivers with hardened criminals.
He told the BBC: “The Prison Service is being overrun with very many short-term prisoners.
“Lots of people who are in prison now would not have been in prison ten years ago.
“Custody rates for some quite petty offending have quadrupled, motoring offences for example.
“Custody rates at the magistrates’ courts for men and women convicted of motoring offences are four times higher now than they were 10 years ago.
“They don’t need to be in jail in such numbers.”
The Association of British Drivers said sending down those convicted of minor motoring offences was an “improper” use of the prison deterrent.
“Prison is intended as a method by which we remove dangerous people from society – murderers, rapists, people who damage others,” said an ABD spokesman.
“It is an improper use of the tool to send people to jail for a minor motoring offence.”
The Home Office said last night it broadly agreed with Mr Narey’s comments.
However, Andrew Howard, the AA’s head of road safety, said the public was behind imprisoning motoring offenders.
“What else can you do with someone who has ignored a court order or has killed someone on the road?”
