Too many prisoners on remand, Holyrood’s Justice Committee finds

Prison officer locks a cell - Image credit: Peter Macdiarmid/PA

Too many prisoners are being held on remand in Scotland, Holyrood’s Justice Committee has found.

This was particularly the case among female prisoners, where remand prisoners account for almost a quarter of the total female prison population.

Only 30 per cent of the women held on remand go on to receive custodial sentences.

The committee heard evidence that time spent remand is largely unproductive and that access to services for these prisoners is limited.

On the contrary it can have a negative impact because of disruption to the offender’s benefits, housing, employment, medical treatment and to their wider family.

Although the committee was in favour of remand being used where the offender was a risk to society, it criticised the lack of data to explain sheriffs’ or judges’ decisions when bail was refused.

The committee also suggested there should be more consistency in the availability of alternatives to remand, such as supervised bail, and that these had to be sufficiently resourced.

Justice Committee convener, Margaret Mitchell MSP, said: “The need to protect society and to keep those who are a threat to the public off the streets is paramount.

“However, the number of those held on remand in our prisons now is higher than in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“The committee was therefore concerned to hear that there is a lack of clear understanding as to what lies behind this rise.

“In short, we want to make sure that those held on remand are there for a good reason.

“This is especially important as the disruption to the life of a person sent to prison on remand, but who then does not receive a custodial sentence, can be profound.”