I am writing in the hope that you will support the new SmartJustice campaign on the links between drugs, drink, mental health and crime.

Two thirds of people entering prison test positive for class A drugs, 280,000 problem drug users cause around half of all crime and 53% of burglaries, shoplifting offences and car thefts are drug related.

Alcohol related crime costs the UK £7.3 billion per year in terms of policing, prevention services, processing offenders through the criminal justice system and human costs incurred by the victims of crime.

And 72% of male and 70% of female prisoners suffer from two or more mental health disorders.

Prison isn't a hospital or a health centre; it's a punishment of last resort. So why spend millions of pounds of taxpayers' money locking up non-violent offenders who are mentally ill or addicted to drugs and drink? I believe that investing in treatment and support for these people before they commit crime, or as a key part of a community punishment order for non- violent offenders, is far more effective than just locking them up.

Its time the government took action to deal with this situation and thus make communities safer.

For more information on the SmartJustice campaign go to
www.smartjustice.org/indexhealth.html