MSP calls for count of forces veterans held in Scottish jails

Published on 31/03/2010 09:50

AN MSP has called for a survey to find out how many armed forces veterans are currently in Scotland's jails.

Research recently revealed three per cent of prisoners in England and Wales were forces veterans. Now Livingston SNP MSP Angela Constance, who recently chaired a summit in the Scottish Parliament on how veterans in the criminal justice system can be supported, is urging the Scottish Prison Service and Ministry of Defence to work together to discover how many ex-service personnel are in jail here.

She said she wanted to ensure appropriate services were available to those leaving the services to minimise the risk of them turning to crime or violence.

Ms Constance said: "Gathering reliable data is a vital first step in any efforts to reduce the number of veterans who offend and become embroiled in the criminal justice system.

"As part of the debt we owe our service personnel and as we put in place support services for veterans to help them return to civilian life it is important we understand the interaction of some veterans with the criminal justice system."