SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE ISSUE OF VETERANS IN SCOTTISH PRISONS

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE ISSUE OF VETERANS IN SCOTTISH PRISONS

MSPs will tomorrow (Thursday 22 April) discuss the issues surrounding armed forces veterans who end up in Scotland’s prisons.

SNP MSP Angela Constance has secured the Member’s Debate, which will address the reasons behind offending behaviour by veterans and how it should best be addressed.

The Livingston MSP, who recently chaired a summit in the Scottish Parliament looking at how veterans in the Criminal Justice system can be supported and ways to minimise the number of veterans in prison, has received an assurance from the UK Defence Minister Kevan Jones that the Ministry of Defence will investigate the possibility of working with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to ascertain how many veterans are actually in prison in Scotland. A survey of prisoners undertaken in England revealed that 3% of prisoners in England and Wales were forces veterans.

Ms Constance wants to discover the number of veterans in prison to ensure that appropriate services are available to those leaving the services to minimise the risk of them turning to crime or violence.

Ms Constance, who is a former prison social worker and a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice committee, said that gathering reliable data was a vital first step in finding effective policy solutions. She commented:

“No person is above the law. Veterans, like anyone, end up in our prison system for a variety of reasons and must face punishment but as part of the debt we owe our service personnel, and as we put in place support services for veterans to help them return to civilian life, it is important we understand the interaction of some veterans with the criminal justice system.

“I am concerned that we do not know how many veterans are in Scotland’s prisons and whilst SPS estimate 1.6% of prisoners may have been in the service, our strong military traditions suggest that this may be an underestimate.

“There have been concerns in the past that those struggling to readjust or suffering from stress or mental health problems related to their time in the forces may find themselves in conflict with the law - but that in many cases these circumstances could be avoided.

“To ensure we are providing the right services to minimise the number of veterans in prison in Scotland we must start by knowing the scale of the problem we face and I hope SPS and the Ministry of Defence will work together to discover this information.”