New plans setting out how the Scottish Government seeks to manage offenders in the future and ‘put public safety at their heart’ were announced on December 17.
SNP’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that replacing ineffective short sentences with tough community orders signed off before the offender leaves court will help reduce reoffending.
The main elements of the plans, which include a response to the Prisons Commission report, include:
The introduction of a new Community Payback Sentence which offenders will sign off before they leave court with unpaid work starting within a week and finished within six months
Legislation to make clear that judges should not impose a custodial sentence of six months or less unless they feel there is no other option
Allowing judges to hold review hearings to check and seek to maintain progress of community sentences
Making electronic monitoring of a curfew available to judges considering bail
The creation of a Scottish Sentencing Council to bring greater consistency and transparency to the sentencing process
Commitment to ending the current system of arbitrary early release once the other elements of the justice plan are implemented. That will ensure offenders sentenced to custody are kept under restriction for the entire length of their sentence
Speaking as he visited vocational training courses at Polmont Young Offenders Institute, the Justice Secretary said:
"It is unacceptable to have a situation where the prison population in Scotland is one of the highest in Europe yet offending rates are at a record low.
"We can’t simply build our way out of the problem and new prisons come at the cost of hospitals or schools. We are investing in new prisons – Addiewell opened its doors last week – but we also need to take bold action to stop the revolving door of reoffending
"I won’t sit back and see low risk offenders on short sentences get free bed and board when they could be paying back to the communities they harm.
"The facts speak for themselves – 58% of offenders who get a Community Service Order have kept a clean record after two years. This compares with only 26% of those released from prison sentences of six months or less.
"The steps outlined today will help build confidence in those community sentences and make them immediate and of benefit to the communities involved.
"For those who should be in prison, there must be realistic programmes to prevent reoffending, carried out in jails where staff safety is not compromised by overcrowding
"Our vision for a fair, fast and flexible justice system will put public safety at its heart and aims to turn around offending behaviour.
"We will not shy away from taking the bold decisions needed to realise this vision and will work with COSLA, the Criminal Justice Authorities and others who are already delivering first class community integration initiatives."
