SPS to set out stance on jail overcrowding

Published on Tuesday 9 June 2009 10:06

OVERCROWDING in jails threatens public safety, prison chiefs were due to tell MSPs today.

The Scottish Prison Service is backing Government plans to phase out short prison sentences of less than six months.

In a submission to the Scottish Parliament's justice committee, SPS chief executive Mike Ewart said: "The SPS believes that excessive use of prison and overcrowded prisons reduce protection rather than contributing to public safety.

"Prison can do good for some offenders, in particular those that present a serious risk of public harm, but Prison itself can do harm – and the biggest harm is to people serving short sentences."

The government's is proposing a presumption against sentences of six months or less and a requirement for sheriffs to provide clear reasons if they opt for a short sentence.

The SNP administration instead wants to make greater use of tough custodial sentences, although it insists that this is not a tactic designed to reduce overcrowding.