Green party

Preventing crime

The Green Party takes the issue of crime very seriously. We feel that being a victim of crime or the fear of crime is something that citizens have a right to feel protected from and believe that more needs to be done to protect them. At present, despite numerous government initiatives, the criminal justice system is failing.

We need a system that stops offenders re-offending, rebuilds trust between police and communities and tackles the causes of crime.

The Green Party strongly believes that policies on crime should go hand in hand with those on education, social care, health, economics and housing. We need to get class sizes down so kids don't leave school unable to read or write. Young people also need facilities so they don't need to be on the street or carry a weapon to protect themselves. By getting rid of benefit traps and aggressive means-testing we can make it easier for young people to move into employment.

We want officers to spend far more time working in local communities rather than being constantly taken away by other duties. The police should know their communities and should concentrate more on preventing crime before it happens.

Some who commit offences need supervision, but we want a society where offenders make reparation to the victims and where the police are fully accountable to the people they serve. By bringing offenders together with victims we can make them aware of the impact their crimes have on people's lives. This also allows victims to play an active part in finding a fair resolution to the crime. Making reparations for crimes has proved an increasingly common and successful approach across the world.

The purpose of custody is both justice through the restriction of liberty, but also the reduction of future harm through rehabilitation. If an offender has shown conclusively that they are ready to re-enter society and make positive contribution, then early release should be considered.

Tough licensing on guns, cutting off the gun supply to the UK and banning the sale of replica guns will bring down violent crime. We need solutions that work, not political posturing: we don't care about looking tough, we only care about stopping people being injured and killed.

In summary, the Green Party will:

• Look to establish restorative justice as a key feature of the UK criminal justice system. The primary aim will be to restore and, if necessary, improve the position of the victim and the community; the offender will be required to make amends.
• Improve the design of our cities to provide safer streets and public spaces.
• Ensure universal access to high quality youth centres to provide an outlet for young people outside of school hours.
• Bring in a Civil Law Injunction Programme (CLIP) to more effectively deal with anti-social behavior.
• Oppose any further privatisation of the prison system, as it is vital that where custody is used it is effective in preventing offenders from re-offending.