Chamber and committees

In collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), and other key justice organisations, we are taking action to tackle the rising prison population.

Prison will always be necessary for those who pose a risk of harm or threaten the delivery of justice. Equally, the Scottish Government is committed to shifting the balance between the use of custody and justice in the community. The budget for 2024-25 includes an additional £14m in support for community justice services and ongoing work to further enable a shift away from the use of custody, bringing the total to £148m. This will support work to strengthen alternatives to remand and the provision of community sentences and interventions, which we know can be more effective in reducing reoffending and assisting with rehabilitation than short-term custodial sentences, leading to fewer victims and safer communities.

To date we have taken action such as the extension of the presumption against short sentences from three months or less to twelve months or less, to enable a further shift away from short custodial sentences, and introduced the use of electronic monitoring on bail. We have established a Prison Population Leadership Group, engaging a range of Justice partners, to further consider the challenges and mitigations associated with the rising prison population.

SPS is taking forward action to respond to the pressures caused by the rising prison population and remains committed to prioritising the health and wellbeing of staff and those living in prison. It is keeping its current population management strategy under review in order to accommodate the rising prisoner numbers. It is also taking forward a range of proposals to optimise the current prison estate which has already seen the transfer of male prisoners into accommodation previously housing women at HMP Edinburgh and the transfer of robustly risk assessed adult male prisoners to HMP&YOI Polmont.