Scotland’s criminal justice system is failing women and it is failing them badly. 27 January 2010

VIEWPOINT

Today’s report into the state of Cornton Vale women’s prison identifies an institution “in-crisis”. What constitutes this crisis is not a failing prison regime but a failure of the Scottish justice system to deal appropriately with many of the women who come into contact with it.

Community service ‘too hard for felons’. The Sunday Times, 18 October 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

Judges are refusing to impose community service orders as they consider them too tough for offenders, a study shows.

LibDem: Prison largely useless as deterrent to knife crime. The Herald: 24 August 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

Almost two-thirds of prisoners in jail for possession of an offensive weapon have already been behind bars for the same crime, it was revealed yesterday.

£5.5m bid to speed up community service. The Herald: 24 June 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

Ministers are to plough an extra £5.5million into trying to speed up the system of community service orders, MSPs heard yesterday.

Parents’ sex offender checks piloted. The Courier: 28 May 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

Parents in Tayside will be the first in Scotland to be given new rights to know if a sex offender has access to their children.

MacAskill: Hawk should not have been in open jail. Daily Express: 28 May 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill was forced to admit yesterday that a violent criminal who fled an open prison should not have been there under rules he introduced a year ago.

Prison Chief: Kirk can help sex offenders back to society. The Herald: 27 May 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

The Kirk could help reduce the number of victims of abuse by offering sex offenders a role in congregations, the chief inspector of prisons in Scotland told church leaders yesterday.

Self-harm incidents ‘rocket’ at all female prison. The Herald: 26 May 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

Scottish Prison Service figures showed that there were 64 reports of self-harm, or planned or attempted self-harm in Cornton Vale Prison in Stirling last year

Parties want mandatory jail terms for knife thugs. The Herald: 14 May 2009 >> article

VIEWPOINT

There are growing demands from opposition parties for anyone carrying a knife to face a mandatory jail term.

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

VIEWPOINT

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.

Summary “Protecting Scotland’s Communities – Fair, Fast and Flexible Justice”
Scottish Government: 17 December 2008. >> report

SUMMARY

The Scottish Government’s direct response to “Scotland’s Choice – the Report of the Scottish Prisons Commission”.

Scottish Prisons Commission Report. Scottish Government: 1 July 2008 >> report

VIEWPOINT

Established by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Prison Commission examined Scotland’s use of imprisonment in the 21st century.