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Sacro Annual Conference 2008:
"Community Sentences —
Making Scotland Safer"

Sacro’s Annual Conference 2008 was held on 5 March at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.

Over 120 delegates attended this year’s conference to debate and listen to views on the use of community sentences and their benefits in promoting safer communities in Scotland.

Delegates were addressed by Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Julius Lang, Director of Technical Assistance at the Center for Court Innovation in New York. Sacro presented its views on the subject through Susan Matheson, Chief Executive, Keith Simpson, Head of Development and Research and Paul Morron, Chairman. The event was expertly chaired, as always, by Sacro’s Honorary President, The Rt Hon the Lord Cullen of Whitekirk KT.

Interactivity was an important part of this year’s conference with all speakers answering questions from the audience, directly after their presentation. A lively panel discussion, a series of workshops and an electronic voting system ensured all those attending had the opportunity to contribute to and influence the discussion. You can view the results of the voting session by clicking here.

Julius Lang’s presentation is available here.

Susan Matheson’s presentation is available here.

For further information on the event, please call 0131 624 7270 or email events@national.sacro.org.uk

Workshops held at the Conference

The Rights of Prisoners’ Children
> Prof. Kathleen Marshall, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People.

Fines, Punishment and Justice
> Mary Munro, Teaching Fellow in Criminology, The Law School, Strathclyde University.

Community Service Orders — the City of Edinburgh Experience
> Bernardita Reyes, Jimmy Hewitts, Nicola Dennies. City of Edinburgh Council, North West Community Service Team.

Community Links Centres — A Model for Scotland?
> Ian Norman, Service Manager, Edinburgh Community Links Centre.

Meaningful Reparation — a Community Based Approach
> Alex Pirrie and Yvonne Melvin, Service Team Leaders, Sacro, Aberdeen.