News In Focus
29 August 2008
Commission plan to end inconsistent sentencing
Judges and sheriffs are to be given guidelines for sentencing criminals.
The Scottish Government is proposing the creation of a Sentencing Commission, the main aim of which will be to end inconsistent sentencing in the courts. The detailed proposals are to be revealed on Monday and will be put out for consultation.
A report published by the Scottish Consortium on Crime and Criminal Justice has called for a cut in the prison population and backs the creation of a Sentencing Commission. It argues for better use of community sentencing and reducing the prison population to 5,000 - it currently stands at more than 8,000.
Baroness Vivien Stern, the consortium's convener, said Scotland would be a safer place if the prison population was reduced. This would allow the prison services to spend more time and money on rehabilitation.