I am writing to express my concern about the lack of investment in community-based solutions to crime. While I accept that prisons are essential for violent and serious offenders, reconviction rates prove that they are not keeping us safe in the long run, and I believe that they should only be used as a last resort.

We should instead be investing in programmes which punish non-violent offenders in the community. Schemes run by the probation service and youth offending teams have been proved to be effective in reducing re-offending. I believe that petty offenders should be forced to pay back to their communities through compulsory work programmes.

We should also be tackling the things that push people into crime in the first place - like drug addiction, unemployment and failure at school.

Community based solutions to crime can work but they are seriously under-resourced and need a cash-injection. We need to end our love affair with custody and invest in solutions which really work.