Chamber and committees

Since the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 received Royal Assent on 6 August, the community payback order (CPO) working group has met on four occasions. It will meet again on 13 December.

At these meetings, the group has considered the impact of the introduction of the CPO on relevant partners, their capacity and readiness to deliver the CPO, and the procedures and processes that will be required to monitor the operation and impact of the CPO. 

The Scottish Government will provide a report to the Justice Committee on the preparations for the CPO, including the progress made by the working group, before the CPO provisions come into force on 1 February 2011.

A number of key stakeholders are represented on the community payback order working group. These include the Association of Directors of Social Work, Community Justice Authorities, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish Court Service, the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the Law Society of Scotland, Sacro “ representing the voluntary sector, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and JobCentrePlus.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38003 on 9 December 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38003 on 9 December 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

I have advised the Governor of HMP Open Estate and SPS trade union officials that the capacity within the Open Estate would need to be reviewed in light of the outcome of the Spending Review.

I expect to meet with the Governor and trade union officials to discuss this matter further.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

This information is not held in the format that has been requested. Typically, those prisoners employed in work parties will complete nine sessions of work per week ranging from two hours to three hours per session resulting in a range of hours worked from 18 hours to 25 hours per week per prisoner. Work party allocation will typically consist of a mixture of short-term and long-term prisoners.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

The following table shows the average daily populations for HMP Castle Huntly, HMP Noranside and HMP Open Estate.

	2005	2006	2007 (1-1 to 22-4)	2007 (23-4 to 31-12)	2008	2009
Castle Huntly	179	265	280	-	-	-
Noranside	136	151	163	-	-	-
Open Estate	-	-	-	478	379	282

Notes:

Data provided is in calendar years.

HMP Castle Huntly and HMP Noranside were amalgamated into HMP Open Estate on 23 April 2007. From this date onwards, all aggregated data is held against HMP Open Estate rather than the individual sites. Other than to provide a snapshot of today''s population at these sites, it is not possible to separate the data into Castle Huntly and Noranside.

Average daily population for Castle Huntly and Noranside in 2007 is based on data from 1 January 2007 to 22 April 2007.

Average daily population for HMP Open Estate in 2007 is based on data from 23 April 2007 to 31 December 2007.

The population of the Open Estate on 1 December 2010 was 255.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

There is no fixed minimum number of hours that a prisoner has to work.

Work allocation is dependent upon capacity and work availability in each prison. Typically work sessions range from two and a half to three hours respectively in the morning and afternoon.

Prisoners will work on average nine sessions per week. Some sessions may not be attended due to a prisoner being at education classes, participating in an offending behaviour programme or health centre or community agency appointments. The minimum time prisoners may work therefore ranges between 18 to 25 hours per week and will depend further upon attendance at any such appointments and Physical Training (PT).

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

The SPS remains committed to supporting prisoners to successfully make the transition from custody back into the community by providing gradual and controlled access to increased freedoms. This policy includes, where appropriate and having regard to public safety, providing access to open conditions within the prison estate for appropriate prisoners.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

All prisoners are given the opportunity to prepare for release. Prisoners serving long-term sentences are subject to an intensive case management process that includes ongoing assessment of their individual risk and needs. This assessment informs the preparation of a Community Integration Plan that focuses on assisting prisoners reintegrate back into their communities. This flexible plan covers such areas as accommodation, family contact and employment.

In addition, all long-term prisoners are, on release, subject to robust licence conditions for the duration of their sentence. A serious breach of any condition can result in recall to custody.