Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson has admitted that Scotland will need an extra new jail to coped with the projected increase in prisoner numbers resulting from the proposed reeforms to the custodial sentence regime.
In 2002, the Scottish Executive had agreed to create two new prisons but decided against a third because it was felt that alternative sentences to custody should be made more widely available.
However, ministers said yesterday that they would need to overturn this decision as prisoner numbers could increase by more than 1,000 due to the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill, which will replace the current automatic early release system.
Ms Jamieson said the Executive was being "upfront" about the need to build more facilities and, that in order to cut reoffending rates in the long term, the prison estate would have to rise in the short term.
The two new prisons which the Executive has already agreed to build will be located at Bishopbriggs and Addiewell, West Lothian.
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