A Radical Way to Reduce the Prison Population

It is a curious thing when you have a Tory calling for a reduced prison population and a former Labour Home Secretary - in The Daily Mail of all places - arguing that prison works. I guess, if nothing else, that this just goes to show how lost the Labour party has become: some of its leading lights are now on the right of the incumbent Con-Dem government. But hey ho - that's Labour's problem, not mine.

But since this is now clearly on the agenda, I have an idea that could substantially reduce the prison population. It is a radical (if you are deeply unimaginative or an unthinking reader of tabloid newspapers) policy, and one many people won't like. But it is this - reduce the prison population by legalising drugs.

From that point on, you are going to be sending fewer people to prison - users, addicts and pushers. If drugs cease to be criminal, then those involved with them cease to automatically be seen as criminal as well. So fewer people will end up going to prison.

And, of course, there are other benefits as well. The Treasury would make more money through taxing drugs. Addicts might be more willing to come forward and seek treatment since admitting to a drug problem would no longer be the same as admitting to criminal activity. Drug related crime would also fall. Furthermore, we wouldn't be in the ludicrous position as we are now where we send drug addicts into confinement in places rife with drugs - namely, prisons. So to Ken Clarke - and any other politician who wants to reduce the prison population - I say do it. Legalise drugs, and then not only will the numbers of those in prison start going down very quickly, but a whole host of other good things could happen as well.

Of course, this won't happen; no professional politician would dare. But one of the reasons why drugs remain such an emotive topic in this country is because of the media inspired frenzy around them, which provokes an unthinking level of rage and fear in many people as soon as the topic of drugs comes up. But that is something that politicians could rectify if they were courageous enough. There are clear benefits to legalising drugs - now all we need is a politician with the backbone to start making the case for legalisation.