News In Focus
20 April 2009
Community court proposal for Glasgow axed
The Scottish Government has pulled the plug on plans for a US-style community court in Glasgow, it is reported today.
According to the Herald, ministers have decided for financial reasons not to go ahead with the current proposals, which have been in planning for the past three years.
The court would have been based on a community justice centre in New York, which provides offenders and victims with education, drug treatment services and job training, and hands down reparation orders rather than prison sentences. The centre has been credited with reducing crime and curbing reoffending.
A working group of sheriffs, procurators fiscal, police and officials was set up to work on the proposal.
However, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said the project board had agreed last month not to take it forward after reviewing projected costs for creating and staffing the new facility.