Latchmere Resettlement Prison Praised As Model For Crime Reduction

12.59.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 1st Jun 2004

Latchmere Prison at Ham has been praised by Susan Kramer, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Richmond Park, as a model for others to follow. She was speaking after a recent visit there where she saw at first hand the work that goes into resettling offenders back into the community.

"It is a brilliant example of joined up thinking," she said.

"The work that is done around training, education, family links and housing gives people a real second chance to go straight and make a life for themselves. Offenders who have never held down a job end up with real qualifications and with a track record of work.

"With a reoffending rate of less than 10 per cent compared to 45 per cent in some prisons Latchmere is a real flagship.

"Latchmere also tackles tough issues like drug and alchohol dependency in an innovative way allowing offenders to build support networks in the communities they will return to so that there is continuity.

"Keeping people off drink and drugs is a sure way of getting their lives back on track.

"There are only 207 places at Latchmere but this approach shows that there should be more models of this kind to help cut repeat crimes, make communities safer and give people who have been inside a real second chance."