The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1088 contributions
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 12 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
Okay. There are a few other things, but I will leave it there.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
My question goes back to the issue of electronic monitoring. Lynsey Smith, you said that there is a marked difference from the previous time when people were released early, because we are not living with Covid restrictions. Do you think that the people who are released early should be put on electronic monitoring?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
I was going to come to that next. We already know that, when people are released from prison, there can be issues with housing, medical supplies, getting a bank account or sorting out benefits. Families Outside made the comment:
“For some families, the return of a parent or other family member from prison is not always a positive experience. A lack of notice about the upcoming releases can make the experience even more stressful for families and, in some cases, may place them at risk of harm.”
Is enough support provided when people are released early? We are doing this at pace. What are the concerns?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
If you are not happy with the plan, would you use the veto?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
You stated your concerns about the increased prison population resulting in greater violence against staff and drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviour. What more should we be doing to ensure that drugs do not enter the prison estate? That seems to be a huge issue at the moment.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
Do you use drug detection dogs?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
So, at the moment, there are not really any medium or long-term plans to fix the on-going situation.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
When someone is released early, will they have restrictions on them, and, if they breach those restrictions, will there be consequences, such as an automatic return to prison?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
To come back to Paula Arnold on the governor’s veto, in what kinds of circumstance do governors use their veto? It is obviously for prisoners who they feel will be a danger. However, the people who are being released are on a maximum four-year sentence. By the time that they are released, they will get out early by probably a maximum of five months. Under what circumstances would they get a veto? I would have thought that they would have been near the process of being released at the end of their sentence—would they automatically be released, or are there occasions on which you would keep somebody in prison because you do not think that they are ready to get back out?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Sharon Dowey
How long have the body scanners been in use for?