Public Audit Committee
Community Justice: Sustainable alternatives to custody
Background
On 15 July 2021, the Auditor General for Scotland published Community Justice: Sustainable alternatives to custody.
The report says:
"Covid-19 has had an impact on the whole justice system, including a backlog in court cases. As the throughput of court business picks up, the demand on community justice services is likely to increase. The Scottish Government has begun a Recover, Renew and Transform programme to focus on recovery and addressing this backlog. This work may provide an opportunity to further progress a shift to sustainable, community-based alternatives to custody."
Read the report on Audit Scotland's website
Information about the Public Audit Committee's consideration of the report can be found below.
Meetings
30 September 2021
The Committee took evidence from:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Antony Clark, Interim Director of Performance Audit and Best Value; Nichola Williams, Senior Auditor, Audit Scotland.
Read the agenda and meeting papers 30 September 2021
Read the Official Report, 30 September 2021
Read the meeting minutes, 30 September 2021
Decision: The Committee agreed to invite the Scottish Government to give evidence at a future meeting.
28 October 2021
The Committee took evidence from:
Joe Griffin, Director-General Education and Justice; Neil Rennick, Director of Justice; Catriona Dalrymple, Deputy Director of Community Justice and Parole, Scottish Government.
Followed by:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Antony Clark, Interim Director of Performance Audit and Best Value; Nichola Williams, Senior Auditor, Performance Audit and Best Value.
Read the agenda and meeting papers 28 October 2021
Read the Official Report, 28 October 2021
Read the meeting minutes, 28 October 2021
Decision: The Committee agreed to write to the Criminal Justice Committee on issues raised during the meeting and close its scrutiny of the report.