As an amendment to motion S6M-16532 in the name of Angela Constance (Independent Review of Sentencing and Penal Policy), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "acknowledges that prisons remain severely overcrowded, with prisons operating above capacity even after the Scottish National Party (SNP) administration’s emergency early release of prisoners, impacting on the ability to rehabilitate offenders; is concerned by the high numbers of women in prisons; condemns the SNP administration’s failure to tackle high reoffending rates, which result in offenders returning to custody due to the lack of robust alternatives; agrees that the third sector can play a significant role in the effective delivery of justice services that reduce reoffending, and support reintegration into society; calls on the Scottish Government to urgently increase the availability of robust community payback orders, and invest in safe and secure GPS electronic monitoring to drive down the remand population and give more public confidence to non-custodial sentencing; further calls on the Scottish Government to expand access to throughcare services, which are essential in assisting offenders to reintegrate into society and to stop offending; believes that a review of sentencing and penal policy will not address the urgent crisis in Scotland’s justice system, and resolves that the SNP administration should take immediate action based on parameters set by the Parliament to address these concerns, rather than focus on a review that will not take the prompt action needed to fix the justice system and keep Scotland’s communities safe."
Result 16 for, 97 against, 0 abstained, 16 did not vote Vote Defeated
Scottish National Party
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Scottish Labour
Scottish Green Party
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Alba Party
Independent
No Party Affiliation
Submitted by: Angela Constance, Almond Valley, Scottish National Party, Date lodged: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Thursday, February 20, 2025
Submitted by: Liam Kerr, North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date lodged: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Thursday, February 20, 2025