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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

My Lords, it seems to me mad that we are not much more careful about sending young people aged under 18 to prison. I know that I said this on the previous amendment, but I shall probably say it again and again, because it is mad. It is counterproductive and does not do any good. The only way anything can be done for these wretched children is through education and care, with attention to their mental health, their drug problems and so on. They should not be banged up in adult prisons under any circumstances whatever. In the 21st century, we should not be doing that and we are not a civilised country if we go on doing it. For those reasons, I support the Liberal Democrats. The less we do it, the cheaper it will be. Possibly, we would keep a few more out of permanent trouble, which is what we should always be trying to do.