RUSSELL Findlay was called out by an SNP minister for seemingly failing to understand devolution as he hit out at Scottish Government plans on prisons.
It comes as the SNP Government is proposing plans to release hundreds more prisoners to avoid “critical” population levels in the country’s jails.
The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill proposes that most prisoners serving sentences of less than four years would be released after serving 40% of their sentence, rather than 50% as at present.
However, this would not apply to those sentenced for domestic abuse or sexual offences, the Government said.
The latest figures show Scotland has 8273 people in custody, with a report predicting last week that prisons would be over capacity by more than 100 inmates within weeks.
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, the Scottish Tory leader said, “crime victims across Scotland are being betrayed” and that the “Government is risking public safety” and “making a mockery of sentencing by Scotland’s independent judiciary”.
Asked specifically what the Scottish Government should do differently, Findlay (above) said: “Well I think what they should do is look at the empty or mostly empty HMP Polmont.
“They say on the bill, the legislation they only published yesterday and they expect us to look at meaningfully and pass within or reject within seven days, they say that this will cost them £3.6 million to implement.
“So why not use that money to ensure that people given the sentences they are given actually serve those sentences, what about expediting prison-building progress.
“I see no sense of urgency, the Government is in a grip of complacency.”
Findlay added: “According to figures from last week, there are 600 foreign nationals in Scottish prisons, that’s approximately 4%.
“Now 4% is not a lot but they’re talking about letting out 300 or 400 immediately so what work has the Government done, I would ask Angela Constance, what’s she done in identifying that cohort and speaking to their countries of origin and seeing if there’s any way these individuals can be returned to serve their sentences there.
“Where’s the serious thinking being done about what other options are available instead of yet again arbitrarily opening the prison gates and releasing people who shouldn’t be released because they’re dangerous.”
Cabinet Secretary responds
Also appearing on the BBC’s programme was Scotland’s Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Constance (below).
She said she was “deeply surprised” at Findlay’s suggestion, given that returns and deportations are a reserved matter for the UK Government “no matter where the prison is located in the United Kingdom”.
Constance added: “We are actively engaging with the UK Government to identify what the opportunities are to increase the efficiency of their proposed measures in Scotland.”
Under the emergency procedures, changes could be implemented from February, resulting in between 260-390 prisoners being eligible for immediate release.
The Government has proposed managing the release over a six-week period in three tranches.
Information for victims will continue to be available through the Victim Notification and Victim Information Schemes, the Scottish Government said.
