Early release for long-term prisoners is horrifying, says victim

At the time, the then First Minister Ms Sturgeon said: “If you are a long-term prisoner… the expectation should be that you serve all of your sentence in jail.”

SNP ministers now want to revert to the old system as they wrestle with a sharp increase in the prison population.

The operating capacity of Scotland’s jails is 8,007 but in May it was 8,348. According to the government, the latest modelling suggests that by October, the population could be anywhere between 7,650 and 9,150.

One of the reasons is an increase in convictions of sex offenders and members of serious organised crime groups.

The courts are getting through the backlog caused by Covid, resulting in more people being sent to jail. At the same time, a huge number are on remand awaiting trial or sentence.

Around 500 short-term prisoners are already in the process of being released to ease pressure on the jails.

When the consultation on the early release of long-term prisoners was announced, the Scottish government argued it would provide “a more managed return to the community” and would be “a proportionate way to reduce the pressure on the prison estate.”

The justice secretary Angela Constance said: “Release under licence conditions means strict community supervision and specific support in place, informed by robust individual risk assessments of prisoners.

“These measures would be introduced through legislation, requiring debate and the approval of parliament.”