Emergency prison release shows why Scotland must back community justice

Community Justice Scotland (CJS) is urging a sustained shift of Scotland’s justice system towards community approaches to crime and offending, warning that this is the only sustainable way to reduce prison numbers and prevent crime in future.

The organisation cautioned that, while the recent emergency release measures have provided the Scottish Prison Service with a temporary reprieve from an escalating crisis, they cannot resolve the underlying issue: Scotland’s prison population continues to grow at an unsustainable rate.

Across Scotland on any given day there are around 1,100 people in prison for sentences of under 12 months and within a year of release around 700 of them will be back in prison. Giving these people community sentences, where it is safe to do so, could reduce the prison population by the equivalent of two full prisons.

CJS Chief Executive, Karyn McCluskey, said:

“If we keep doing what we have always done, we’ll keep getting the same results. We know that short sentences don’t give people the time or stability to change and we see the same faces coming back through the door time and time again.

“Community sentences are tough, demanding and focused on change, holding people to account while connecting them to the things that actually stop offending: housing, treatment, employment and purpose.

“Countries that have managed to cut reoffending and reduce their prison population have done it by shifting resources into the community. Scotland can do the same, but it takes courage to move beyond short-term fixes and back solid evidence over old habits.”

CJS said the current situation presents an opportunity to look beyond temporary measures and build a justice system that reduces harm, cuts costs and delivers better outcomes for individuals and communities alike.

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