Sentences shake-up an easy option, believes half the public

Published on Monday 25 May 2009 22:11

THE scale of public scepticism over Kenny MacAskill's plans to slash the prison population has been disclosed in a new survey that shows nearly half the public believe community sentences are an "easy option".

The survey of 3,500 people also found that more than one quarter thought they were a "get out of jail free card", although half also accepted they provided an opportunity for offenders to "make amends" for their crimes.

The Scotsman can reveal that 46.8 per cent of people asked in a recent poll said they believed they were an "easy option", while 28.7 per cent thought they amounted to a "get out of jail free card".

The SNP is planning to reduce reoffending by controversially diverting thousands of offenders from short-term prison sentences on to new community payback orders, which are said to be better at tackling the causes of crime.

Results of the survey, conducted by the Fife and Forth Valley Community Justice Authority, will be passed to a committee of MSPs scrutinising the SNP's plans.

Anne Pinkman, the authority's chief officer, admitted there was "work to be done" to convince the public that community sentences were an effective punishment.

"We can be smarter at branding the work we do," she said, suggesting that signs should be put up informing people when work is being carried out by offenders on community orders.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are taking a number of measures to improve the public's confidence in community punishment, including more immediate starts to work placements."