SNP TAKE COURAGEOUS LEAD ON PRISON POLICY.

SNP TAKE COURAGEOUS LEAD ON PRISON POLICY.

MCLEISH BRANDS LABOUR OPPOSITION MISLEADING, RIDICULOUS AND TOTALLY WRONG,

CHERIE BOOTH COMMISSION BACKS SCOTTISH JUSTICE REFORM,

Former First Minister and chair of the Scottish Prisons Commission Henry McLeish has today branded Labour opposition to the Scottish Government's prisons policy "misleading", "ridiculous" and "totally wrong."

His comments come as SNP policy on prisons is endorsed in the final report of the Commission on English Prisons.

The Commission, chaired by Cherie Booth praises the “courageous lead” taken by Scotland in taking “serious steps to address its prison crisis”.

Commenting on Labour's opposition to the policies in today's Scotland on Sunday newspaper Mr McLeish states; "Their claims are wholly ridiculous. They are arguing against something that is not being implemented of recommended by the Government. My appeal to Labour, who were the progressive party, is to read the report. None of it adds up to anything remotely like what they are claiming. They are misleading the public."

Mr McLeish continues to say "The Labour claims on this are just totally wrong."

Launching the report by the Commission on English Prisons which supports increased use of community punishments Cherie Booth QC said;

“Crucially, more widespread use of effective community sentences would both allow us to reduce the use of prison and allow for reinvestment of resources into local communities to cut offending.”

The report states;

Para 2.18 - Scotland has taken a courageous lead in the UK by taking serious steps to address its prison crisis not only pragmatically but most significantly, at the level of penal philosophy

Criticising the use of short sentences it continues;

Para 1.13 - Prisons have become vast warehouses for the dumping of people with problems society has failed to deal with – those with mental health needs, with histories of neglect and abuse, with drug and alcohol addictions. Worse, prison actually exacerbates and fosters many of these physical and emotional miseries. Prison does little to control drug abuse - one in five prisoners report opiate use in prison (Singleton et al 2005) - it exposes vulnerable people to sexual assault; it increases the risk of suicide and self harm. And as the reconviction rates quoted earlier make clear, prison also schools young offenders into more entrenched patterns of criminal behaviour.

Welcoming the report and following Mr McLeish's comments SNP MSP Angela Constance a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee said;

“Short prison sentences have been shown to do more harm than good to the communities affected by crime and the prisoners being sentenced.

“Cherie Booth’s report, backing up that of Henry McLeish makes clear that short sentences do not improve safety in the long run or reduce reoffending.

“Prison overcrowding is making prisons a dumping ground for problems society and politicians do not want to address.

"It would serve the Labour party well, instead of simply seeking scaremongering headlines, to listen to Henry McLeish's comments, to read the McLeish Commission report and to support the work of the Justice Secretary to cut reoffending and make Scotland safer.

"Henry McLeish has called Labour's bluff. Richard Baker's lack of credibility on justice issues has been well and truly exposed.

“The Scottish Government’s bold proposals, alongside the construction of new prisons and investment in communities through Cashback for Communities scheme, set out a clear path to reduce reoffending, to cut crime and to support our prison officers in the work they do to reduce offending behaviour amongst those who need to be locked up.

“With increasing numbers of experts, north and south, backing the Scottish Government’s justice reforms it is time opposition parties in Scotland dropped the petty politics and focussed on doing what is right to make Scotland's communities safer.”