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PART ONE: BACKGROUNDAND PROCESS
1.1 The Scottish Prisons Commission was convened in September 2007 to examine Scotland's use of prison in the 21st century. Its remit was to:
- Consider how imprisonment is currently used in Scotland and how that use fits with the Government's wider strategic objectives.
- Raise the public profile of this issue, providing better information to allow a deeper understanding of the options, outcomes and costs.
- Assess the impact for courts, prisons and community justice services of early release provisions of the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007.
1.2 The Commission spent nine months investigating the use of imprisonment in Scotland. In fulfilling our remit we have taken evidence from a number of people and groups ( Annex A) and carried out a series of public events across Scotland ( Annex B).
1.3 We prioritised exploring Scottish practice, visiting prisons and places where young people are held; observing local examples of offender management; travelling to community-based projects such as 218 in Glasgow and the Falkirk Criminal Justice Services, where extraordinary results are being achieved in ordinary ways. We also visited Helsinki, Dublin, Liverpool and New York to observe how others manage crime and offenders ( Annex C).
1.4 Underpinning this review has been our consideration of the international body of research on the use of imprisonment and the causes and consequences of overcrowded prisons.
1.5 The membership of the Commission represented a range of perspectives and skills:
The Rt. Hon. Henry McLeish (Chair) - former First Minister of Scotland, Minister for Enterprise and Life Long Learning, Minister for Devolution and Home Affairs
Dr Karin Dotter-Schiller - Acting Director-General, Prison Service in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Vienna, Austria; founder member, International Corrections and Prisons Association
Sheriff Alistair Duff - Dundee; Chair, Dundee branch of the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending
Geraldine Gammell - Director, The Prince's Trust in Scotland
Richard Jeffrey - President, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce; Chair, Edinburgh Tourism Action Group
Lesley Riddoch - broadcaster and journalist
Chief Constable David Strang - Lothian and Borders Police
1.6 Many people took up the opportunity to contribute to the review. The tight timescale meant that views had to be invited and offered within short deadlines and we are very grateful to all those who took the time to share the benefit of their knowledge and experience.
1.7 The Commission's work was supported ably by the Secretariat, and in particular its Secretary, Annette Sharp. The Commission is grateful to her and her team: Iain Harron, Joe Church, Joni Smith, and Laura Piper. The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research provided valuable additional research support. Thanks also to Jim Kerr, Scottish Prison Service, for facilitating prison visits.
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