Henry McLeish claims prisons are both a financial and human ‘waste,’ and says fewer people should be jailed by the courts
By Bill Heaney
Former First Minister has called for “new” and “radical” thinking to solve Scotland’s rising prison population as he calls for plans to send “fewer people to prison”.
Labour MSP Henry McLeish took over from Donald Dewar following his death in 2000 before resigning a year later over an expenses row involving the sub-letting of his parliamentary office.
McLeish, pictured left, claimed that politics needed to “reinvent” how it dealt with major policy issues as he criticised the lack of progress to make changes since he published his report 20 years ago commissioned by the late Alex Salmond when he was First Minister.
The report, Scotland’s Choice, recommended actions on reoffending, prisoners on remand and short sentences as he hit out at the cost of incarceration claiming it costs £45,000 per inmate.
He slammed the “high and embarrassing levels” of people locked up claiming that Scotland leads Western Europe per head of population in the number of “people behind bars”.
In a column for The Herald, he wrote: “Our current approach, rightly based on punishment, rehabilitation, deterrence and public safety, isn’t working, is expensive in human and financial terms, and isn’t delivering that key objective.
“Instead of this approach the prison service is dealing with early release, overcrowded prisons and unfair burdens on prison officers. This is the modern version of ‘Scotland’s Choice’. High and embarrassing levels of incarceration confirm that Scotland leads Western Europe, per head of population, in the number of “people behind bars”.
“Despite reductions in prison populations in Europe, especially in the Nordic countries, the prison population of more than 8,300 in Scotland today is actually higher than it was in July 2008.”
He added: “Building a new vision of Scotland requires fewer people in prison and a process that seeks consensus by diminishing the tribal and wasteful party political conflicts around this issue as well as involving a much wider range of interests and institutions in the process, especially the courts and the media.
“There is also an urgent need to involve the public, essential if we want our democracy to work more effectively in tackling issues of massive public concern.
“But baked into our politics is understandably the difficulty of any political party going out on a limb on crime and punishment, laying them open to accusations of going soft on crime. The backlash, especially from the media, could be overwhelming.
“As a consequence there is no honest debate. The current so-called tough approach to crime is hollow, failing, and wasteful of people and resources. Scotland is capable of doing better.”
The former politician explained that the number of people in remand were at a “historic high” last year with 23% awaiting trial suggesting for less use of this option for less serious crimes and people.
He argued that 4% of the prison population were female with “increasing evidence” that women are less likely to reoffend following a community sentence rather than jail time, adding: “Short sentences don’t work and often fail to take account that women’s involvement in the criminal justice system is often linked to mental health needs, drug and alcohol problems, coercive relationships, financial difficulties and debt – with many of them being connected.
Prison officers instructing prisoners on how to deal with drugs problems.
“In framing a different approach to a persistent and deepening problem, we need a paradigm shift in our thinking and approach. But it does require a new way of making and delivering policy. We have the skills and experience in the prison service, where some excellent work is being done, but politicians of every stripe must reach across the aisle and build consensus to find new answers to old problems.”
He added: “It is a tough ask, but policymakers must break free from outdated silos and engage in the public interest. The judiciary, in particular the courts, and the media play vital roles but criminal justice professionals, local communities families and individuals, local government, the police and the third sector have a role to play.”