Current funding model for justice sector is unsustainable and must change, say Holyrood Committee

The Committee’s conclusions are part of its pre-budget scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s budget for 2024/25.

While recognising the financial challenges across the Scottish Budget, the Committee say the sector cannot withstand another year of small incremental investment and a business-as-usual approach.

The Committee’s report highlights evidence of an increasingly precarious financial position for those from across the sector who are dealing with a number of financial challenges, including high inflation and meeting pay awards.

The report cites evidence from both the police and fire and rescue service that extra investment must be found if they are to maintain current staffing numbers.

The Committee say they are most concerned by the pressure on capital spending budgets with critical projects such as the replacement of HMP Barlinnie, investment in decontamination facilities in fire stations and the roll out of body worn video cameras to police officers all facing delays or uncertainty. 

Difficult cost pressures impacting courts, prosecution services, prisons and the community justice sector are also highlighted. The Committee say they are concerned that funding pressures mean the prison services’ throughcare system, which is vital to any efforts to prepare prisoners for release and reduce the likelihood of reoffending, cannot be kept in operation.

Alarm is also expressed that debates on how many people we send to prison and the need for community based alternatives to incarceration have been going on for years but without any discernible actions to tackle this issue, because they are not available across all of Scotland.

The Committee say they have repeatedly heard evidence about the inefficiencies of police officers having to spend a disproportionate amount of time dealing with people with mental health conditions or waiting around in court rooms to give evidence, with limited tangible progress made to resolve these matters.

The Committee also call for investment in new co-located services for police and fire and rescue services saying these new facilities would allow older, more costly stations to close, thereby yielding savings over the longer term. 

The Committee say the time for reform is now and that a spend-to-save model should be implemented which ensures the justice sector can continue to deliver services effectively and to meet the demands placed upon it.

The Criminal Justice Committee Convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP, said:

“Year on year we are seeing the increasing pressure on services in the justice sector and the difficult decisions organisations are having to make in order to continue to deliver. We recognise the twin pressures of high inflation and pay awards, but it feels like we’ve reached a critical point and that increasingly there are fewer and fewer savings which can be made without a detrimental impact on services.

“Throughout our scrutiny it has become clear that the current model is unsustainable and that marginal increases in budgets each year are no longer sufficient.

“We’re calling for a different approach and the implementation of a spend-to-save model which would bring increased investment into the criminal justice system and will ultimately save money.”

“We need urgent reform of how this sector is funded to ensure its long-term viability, and which means services are properly funded and the infrastructure behind them modernised to meet the demands of our society.”

Read the Pre-budget Scrutiny 2024-25 report