Justice minister: Prison's a skoosh.
The Scotsman: 11 May 2009 >> article

Kenny MacAskill, Scotland's justice secretary, sparked a furious backlash last night for describing prison as a "bit of a skoosh" for short-term prisoners.

VIEWPOINT: Kenny MacAskill’s description of short prison sentences as a “skoosh” highlights the problems caused by overcrowded prisons and the resultant strain on prison staff’s ability to work on rehabilitating those in their charge. When dealing with offending behaviour, the overriding aim of the criminal justice system must be to address that behaviour and work to reduce or eliminate the risk of reoffending. That cannot be done effectively when prisons are bursting at the seams and staff and resources stretched to breaking point.

The proper use of community disposals as recommended in the McLeish report, Scotland’s Choice, brings with it the opportunity to free up prison resources and allow offending behaviour to be addressed among those dangerous and persistent offenders for whom prison is the only appropriate sanction. By replacing overused and ineffective short prison terms with swift, robust and appropriate community sentences, offenders should not be able to escape the consequences of their offending behaviour. The recently announced Community Payback Order is an opportunity to address offenders’ behaviour effectively while providing an element of reparation for the victims of crime. Community sentences are most effective when there is an element of reparation as well as punishment and restorative justice helps ensure that such reparation is properly targeted whilst also increasing compliance by offenders. Sacro will continue to press for the inclusion of a restorative element in Community Payback Orders to ensure this new sanction is effective and successful in its aim of reducing reoffending.