Castle Point's MP has gone head-to-head with Home Secretary David Blunkett calling for tougher regimes in prisons.
Mr Bob Spink slammed Mr Blunkett's reforms as "bureaucratic madness" in the Commons and called for more testing and treatment of drugs instead of increased community sentences.
In the House, Mr Spink said: "We see more bureaucratic madness from the Home Secretary, who seems to have forgotten that prisons should have as one of their functions real deterrence.
"Can we move away from the presumption of early release to a system in which early release must be earned by prisoners. Can we have prison regimes that are tough, educating and rehabilitating, and above all, can we have more testing and treatment for drugs?"
The Home Secretary responded scathingly: "I thought for a moment that I was about to be attacked for being too liberal, but the Honourable Gentleman finished his oration by asking me to do what I have said that we are doing, and intend to do more intensively and vigorously and with more joined up policy.
"We will also do it with a lot less bureaucracy because of joining the headquarters and the services together, which will cut out duplication."
Published Monday January 12, 2004
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article