"Dangerously naive" Green candidate wants to abolish prison

Responding to Scottish Green candidate Kate Nevens calling for the complete abolition of prisons, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said:

"This is a dangerously naive view of the world. The first priority needs to be public safety and there are some people who are just too dangerous to be walking the streets.

"To reduce the number of people in Scotland's bursting prisons, we need to speed up the processing of those who are stuck in prison waiting for a trial. We also need investment in tough community-based sentences which are proven to lower reoffending so there is a credible alternative to imprisonment for low level offences. This should sit alongside better education in prison so that those who are locked up do not become repeat visitors.

"We also need to speed up completion of the long-overdue replacement of integral parts of the prison estate which has dragged on for far too long under the SNP."