SCRAP SHORT TERM SENTENCES SAY ENGLISH PRISON GOVERNORS.

SCRAP SHORT TERM SENTENCES SAY ENGLISH PRISON GOVERNORS.

EX-GOVERNOR PRAISES SNP GOVERNMENT’S APPROACH,

SNP MSP, Nigel Don – a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee – has welcomed a motion placed before the Prison Governors' Association (PGA) conference south of the border which says that short-term sentences do not reform criminals and only contribute to record overcrowding.

The motion was also welcomed Alec Spencer, a professor of criminal justice at Stirling University and a former governor of several Scottish prisons, who supported the Scottish Government’s attempts to reduce prison over population by planning to introduce a presumption against those short sentences.

Commenting Mr Don said:

“These are very important developments which underline why the Scottish Government is right to address this issue.

"T he evidence shows short sentences for low level offenders do nothing to stop re-offending.

“Three-quarters of those sentenced to short-term sentences of six months or less re-offend within two years, while 42% of those sentenced to community service have a clean record after that time.

“That is why we believe we could have a safer Scotland with minor offenders being made to put hard work back into the community rather than get free bed and board from the state. Ironically the policy Labour is supporting in England.

“The vast majority of people convicted of serious crimes are sent to jail for longer than six months, but sheriffs and judges will always, rightly, have the final say in every case.

“To address this issue we want to introduce a presumption against those short sentences.

“Labour have no credibility when they speak about justice issues – it is this Justice Secretary and this administration which are building new prisons, have recruited an all-time record number of police officers and have seen crime in Scotland fall to a 25-year low.”