Labour outlines detailed plans to overhaul penal system

PRISON will be used as a last resort for acts of crime while the number of criminals behind bars will be reduced under plans published by the Labour Party which denied it would be “soft on crime”.

Justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte claimed the Fianna Fáil solution has been to “throw more law” at crime and introduce tougher laws. But he asked: “Has it made our society more safe? Has it made people more secure?”

He said: “We do have to question whether imprisonment is being over-used where it isn’t necessary in our system currently.”