McArthur comments on prison numbers increasing again

Responding to the news that the number of people in Scotland’s prisons has returned to the level which caused the early release of hundreds of inmates, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

“In many ways, this reflects the fact that the SNP’s early release scheme could only ever be a short-term measure.

“Despite being repeatedly warned that the prison overcrowding was a disaster waiting to happen, the Scottish Government waited many years before acting. It is a crisis entirely of their own making.

“To properly tackle overcrowding, we need to see a serious effort by the Justice Secretary to invest in robust and credible community sentences, drive down the use of remand and ensure staff have the resources they need to rehabilitate prisoners and cut reoffending.”