Report to the People
23rd October 2004
Reducing Re-offending
The
way the criminal justice system treats (as if that’s any way to describe it)
victims and witnesses has long been somewhere between contempt and suspicion.
But,
with victim statements and new rights to information about your assailant’s
proposed release and to make representations to the Parole Board about
it, last year’s Criminal Justice Act put a good few pounds on the victims’
side of the justice scales.
But
the job is nothing like done. There
is no point working harder to catch and convict criminals if, at the end of
their sentence, they’re simply going to be allowed back onto the streets to
commit more crime.
A
recent major investigation showed that the public wants to see criminals dealt
with effectively while in prison and properly supervised on their release. And
it was heartening to read that, in responding to the report, Justice Minister,
Cathy Jamieson, said greater public safety would be put “at the forefront”
of the criminal justice reform programme.
The
First Minister was right when he recently branded Scotland's re-offending rate
“appalling” – on current figures, some 60% of prisoners will re-offend
within two years of release.
Not
only does this cycle waste valuable time and money, it creates a whole new set
of victims each time around. Breaking
it – and putting a spanner in the revolving doors of our prisons and
courtrooms – must be a top priority for the forthcoming Criminal Justice Plan.
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