BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw has launched an attack on prison reformers who 'drive me nuts and overlook victims'.

And the Justice Secretary also slammed government documents which he said were rife with “impenetrable jargon".

Mr Straw said campaign groups were “lost in a fog of platitudes” and were guilty of overlooking the suffering of victims.

He identified the phrase “criminogenic needs of offenders” for particular criticism, saying it created a “barrier” between experts and the public.

”I profoundly disagree that we should describe someone’s amoral desire to go thieving as a ‘need’ equivalent to that of victims or the law abiding public,” he said.

In his speech to the Royal Society of Arts, Mr Straw said the work of prison reformers, and the children’s lobby, meant the “needs of offenders” message was heard “loud and clear”.

But he said: “The Government as a whole has worked very hard to give a central voice and priority to victims, but we hear far less often from these lobbies about the needs of the victim.”

He called for a renewed focus on “punishment” and “reform” as the key principles of the justice system.

”I think that sometimes they forget who the victim is, so lost do they become in a fog of platitudes and debate over the ‘needs’ of offenders.”

”I think that semantics are very important indeed for victims of crime. We can all do more to support them.”