News In Focus
27 August 2008
Prison population hits record levels
Scotland's prison population has risen past the 8,000 mark for the first time.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) says there were 8,013 people in jail on 26 August, 7% more than on the same day last year. A spokesman said that while they could cope with the numbers, it meant it was difficult to provide prisoners with the accommodation and services that they needed.
Scotland's prisons are meant to hold some 1,400 people fewer than are currently in prison. The total number of people within the prison system is 8,384 - over 900 more than the same week last year.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill said his administration had inherited a prison estate that was not fit for purpose. However, money had been invested in the modernisation of existing facilities and the building of three new prisons. He added that less serious offences should be dealt with by tough community punishments instead of jail sentences.
The Conservative Party's justice spokesman Bill Atiken said he found the figures depressing but not surprising. He said prison seemed to have lost its deterrent effect for young offenders because it was seen as "cushy".