A backwards parole policy is making Scotland’s jails overcrowded and hampering offender rehabilitation, a prisoner reform campaigner from the SOHO535-INSTITUTE has argued.
According to official data, as reported in the Inside Time prison newspaper on 04 Dec 2023, the parole rate for Scottish long-term prisoners (LTPs) serving 4 years or more was around 11.5% between March 2022 and March 2023. This means that around 88.5% of eligible LTPs, estimated at 1,700 prisoners, did not receive parole during this period. In England, the absolute majority of LTPs are granted automatic release at the halfway point of their sentences. And the Westminster Government announced they will change the automatic release point for standard determinate sentences from 50% to 40%.
These findings highlight potential disparities in prisoner treatment across the UK. Scotland’s low parole rate may not provide sufficient incentives for prisoners to engage in rehabilitation programs, potentially impacting reoffending rates.
Josh Rosenberg from the SOHO535-INSTITUTE, a prison reform campaigner from Scotland, said: “Scottish prisons are dangerously overcrowded and at the brink of collapse. Seemingly the majority of offenders who do not get parole leave jail with no home, no job and no one to depend on. They are left with no hope and often re-offend straight away.
“The English policy of parole at halfway at least gives prisoners an initiative to behave and reintegrate or face a lengthy recall to prison.
“The Scottish government approach is failing people in their care and failing to keep the public safe.”
Foreign prisoner issue
The treatment of foreign national prisoners in Scottish prisons is also a grave issue the SNP government should review, according to Josh Rosenberg. In England, the Early Removal Scheme allows for the deportation of foreign LTP prisoners up to 18 months before the halfway point of a sentence. Scotland currently does not have an equivalent scheme for foreign LTP prisoners, leading to questions about equitable treatment and compliance with equality legislation in relation to the Equality Act 2010 Section 9, which covers race and nationality. And it would appear the SNP lead Scottish Government maybe acting unlawful under the Equality Act when keeping all Scottish and foreign prisoners imprisoned in Scotland passed their halfway point and when failing to provide foreign nationals equal treatment compared to foreign national prisoners in England in terms of Early removal from the UK. And the Scottish Government is called upon to end this grave injustice immediately and to also offer all foreign national LTP prisoners the immediate consensual removal from the UK by deportation at the latest, the half-way point.
The SPS has previously commissioned reviews of its rehabilitation programs to assess their effectiveness. Ongoing evaluation of these programs is crucial for developing evidence-based policies that can address the complex issues surrounding parole, rehabilitation, and public safety. Concerningly a programs review commissioned by the SPS and Scot Gov by Professor Mary McMurran from Nottingham University found that there is no evidence that any of the SPS Offending Behaviour Programs ever worked on reducing reoffending on even a single Scottish prisoner. While the SPS receives substantial annual funding to provide these courses as the SPS purports to the public the courses work and are required to reduce reoffending.
Josh Rosenberg said: “”The stark disparity in parole rates between Scotland and England, coupled with the absence of an early removal scheme for foreign nationals, demands an urgent review of our parole and prison system in Scotland. We must ensure fairness, promote rehabilitation, and address overcrowding while maintaining public safety. The current system appears to be failing and broken on multiple fronts.”
The public outrage about these massive Scot Gov failures and the mistreatment of countless fellow Scots who are still members of our community, Scot Gov needs to answer for.