Examination of Witnesses (Questions 40-42)
MS FRANCES
CROOK, MS
PAULINE CAMPBELL,
MS DEBORAH
COLES, MS
JULIET LYON
AND MR
GEOFF DOBSON
8 NOVEMBER 2005
Q40 Mr Malik: I just have a very small
question. I am going to be asking about children in custody. If
there are two things, or perhaps three, that you could say in
a few words that were key in terms of dealing with some of the
issues around children in custody, what would they be?
Ms Coles: Stop sending them to
custody in the first place, stop closing down local authority
secure children's homes and invest in more secure children's homes,
which I think would not only save lives, but I think would address
a lot of the issues of concern to us all about children who get
in trouble with the law and what we do with them. At the end of
the day, those children grow up and I think that if we invest
the resources and the staff support at that early stage, we might
well prevent offending in the future, and we also would save lives.
Q41 Chairman: Ms Campbell, if you had
one question you would like to hear the Committee ask the Minister,
what would it be?
Ms Campbell: Why can we not have
a greater initiative from the Government to encourage a better
use of non-custodial sentences?
Chairman: Thank you very much indeed,
everyone.
Witnesses: Rt Hon Baroness Scotland
of Asthal QC, a Member of the House of Lords, Minister of
State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, and Ms
Christine Knott, Acting Head of NOMS, Home Office; Mr Phil
Wheatley, Director General, Prison Service; and Mr John
Boyington, Department of Health, examined.
Q42 Chairman: Minister, thank you very
much indeed for joining us this morning. It is the first time
that you have appeared before the Home Affairs Select Committee,
so it is a particular pleasure to have a Lords' Minister in front
of the Committee; it does not happen particularly often. I know
you would like to make a brief opening statement, but I wonder
if, just before you do, your officials could introduce themselves
for the Committee and then perhaps I could invite you to make
your opening statement.
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