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Scotland is preparing to release hundreds of prisoners early as part of new measures aimed at reducing the overcrowding crisis within its prisons. This initiative comes in response to the country’s prison population reaching a record high last year. Justice Secretary Angela Constance explained that adjusting the automatic release point for certain short-term inmates aims to help manage the rising numbers.
The proposed policy would lower the proportion of a sentence served before early release from 40% to 30% for prisoners sentenced to less than four years. Importantly, this change would exclude those convicted of domestic abuse or sexual offences. Constance emphasized that while alternatives to incarceration and expanded prison capacity have been implemented, overcrowding remains a significant challenge, with multiple prisons currently operating at or beyond their limits.
Despite previous efforts, including a recent law change that reduced the release threshold from 50% to 40% and an emergency early release program that freed over 400 prisoners, the total number of inmates remains high. As Constance highlighted to MSPs, prisoner numbers stood stubbornly at 8,301, slightly down from a high of 8,430 but still expected to rise. She stressed that public safety and victim protection continue to be top priorities, and the government has not made these adjustments lightly. “It remains crucial that those who pose the greatest risk of harm to the public are housed in prisons,” she said.
The government intends to carry out a brief consultation on the proposed changes before submitting secondary legislation to parliament. The plan will require parliamentary approval before becoming effective. Opposition members have criticized the proposals, with Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr describing the government’s approach as “knee-jerk, un-evidenced panicked schemes,” while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the SNP of enacting a “soft touch justice system” that endangers community safety by offering leniency to violent criminals and drug dealers
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