SCOTTISH
POLICE FEDERATION
5 Woodside Place, Glasgow, G3 7QF
MEDIA
RELEASE
The Scottish Police Federation represents all police officers in the
ranks of chief inspector and below, about 15,000 people, over 98%
of all police officers in Scotland.
To:
Date:
Subject: |
On
Request
Tuesday
6July 2004
Custodial
Sentences |
In
response to the Scottish Prison Services proposal that custodial sentences
under one year should be abolished, the General Secretary said,
Converting
prison sentences of less than one year to community sentences would
drastically cut the prison population. It would probably save the
Government money. I say probably because criminals do not as a rule
commit crime when they are in prison but, they are free to do so for
most of the day when they are on a community based sentence. The question
is at what cost, the cost of your car being stolen, your house broken
into, or the cost of the health care to treat your stab wound? That
cost would not show up on the Scottish Prison Service account, or
on Government expenditure but it is nevertheless a real cost. We also
have to consider the views of the victims and the community who are
entitled to relief from habitual criminals.
What
we need to remember is that before a criminal is sentenced to any
length of incarceration they have generally been through the system.
One rarely gets jailed for a first offence. Many will have done a
number of community based sentences, or part of them when they can
be bothered. As a last resort, they have been imprisoned.
What
do we do with the criminals in the future who resolutely refuse to
pay the fine or do not satisfactorily complete the community service
order or supervised attendance order? Do we simply let them go around
and around the system or do we put up with that until eventually they
are due a year and a day inside?
Non-custodial
sentences such as restriction of liberty orders and diversionary schemes
where they have been properly evaluated and found to work are undoubtedly
appropriate in some cases. In every case where such an option is being
considered as an alternative to imprisonment a proper risk assessment
should be made available to the court. Failure to comply with the
conditions attached to these alternative sentences should be taken
seriously and the errant offender left in no doubt that the failure
carries a real sanction.
Reducing
the prison population is a laudable aim. There are undoubtedly people
in prison primarily because they seriously abuse alcohol or drugs
and alternatives for them are required. There are many people in prison
who would be more appropriately dealt with by mental health authorities.
Persistent offenders who commit minor crimes linked to alcohol, drugs
or mental health difficulties would surely be better dealt with by
authorities and services designed to address these issues rather than
temporarily hiding the problem in our prisons where it is apparent
that these issues are not adequately addressed.
But
to arbitrarily select a period of one year and say that no one in
any circumstances should be imprisoned for a lesser period does not
add up to serious thinking in my view.
Cost
is important, but justice should not only be done when the price is
right.
For
further information contact Lesley Stevenson at 5 Woodside Place,
Glasgow, G3 7QF
Telephone: 0141 332 0901 Mobile: 07967 104173 Fax: 0141 331
2436
Email: ldunne@scottishpolicefederation.org.uk
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