Prison chief warns early release scheme will not fix overcrowding crisis

NEW moves to release prisoners early from Scotland’s jails will not “address any of the root causes” of overcrowding, ministers have been told.

- By Katrine Bussey

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, Sara Snell, said while the latest wave of releases was “necessary to reduce the immediate pressure” inside institutions, it would not provide a long-term solution.

She admitted that Scotland’s prison system is currently “struggling to cope with the number of prisoners it is now being asked to accommodate”.

‘And while Justice Secretary Angela Constance has announced plans for another wave of early releases, starting next month, Ms Snell told ministers that previous release schemes had not been a remedy for the problem of overpopulation in Scotland’s jails.

Ms Snell spoke out on the issue after the number of prisoners reached a new record high of 8,430 last week.