Lord Dholakia questioned Lord Faulks, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, after a statement was given on the recent escalation of violence in Wormwood Scrubs during which two prison officers were injured. Querying the Government's response to prison violence, Lord Dholakia noted that there was recognition of the problem of psychoactive drugs entering prisons, their use, and "the extent to which that could destabilise the control of discipline in prisons." This was an issue of great concern to Lord Dholakia.
But, said Lord Dholakia, there was another, second issue of concern, that also contributed to problems within prison estates that was not referred to: the length of sentences. Lord Dholakia, a longstanding campaigner for reforms to sentencing, to stop the 'revolving' door of prisoners routinely returning to jail, called for "some light" to be thrown "on the extensive use of severe and harsh sentences." Lord Dholakia declared: "[t]hey are one of the causes of overcrowding," and this, he opined, "ultimately results in the type of violence that we saw in Wormwood Scrubs."
The Minister, in his reply, noting Lord Dholakia concerns, and stating that the length of a sentence should reflect the severity of the crime, concurred: " ...but short enough to give the offender a chance to rehabilitate and give them some hope."
