Conservative Russell Findlay and Justice Secretary Angela Constance.
By Lucy Ashton
The SNP justice secretary admitted during a private meeting that she wants to empty Scotland’s jails.
The Scottish Conservatives have learned, via Freedom of Information requests, that Angela Constance told the penal reform group Howard League Scotland “the crux of the problem is we need to stop sending more people to prison”.
Minutes from the same meeting reveal that she also claimed to be “exploring a range of actions” in a bid to reduce the prison population, which official figures show rose throughout much of 2023.
Shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay said the behind-closed-doors admission revealed the SNP’s “true intention to empty Scotland’s prisons” and he condemned their “weak justice agenda, which puts criminals first”.
Russell Findlay MSP said: “This memo reveals the SNP’s real agenda when it comes to criminal justice.
“In public, they claim to be on the side of victims. But in private, they admit their true intention, which is to empty Scotland’s prisons and put criminals back on our streets.
“The justice secretary’s confession behind closed doors will come as no surprise to crime victims or the law-abiding majority of Scots who suffer the impact of the SNP’s pursuit of weak justice, which puts criminals first.”
Top picture: Barlinnie Prison which serves West Dunbartonshire and Argyll.