Friday, February 4, 2011

Policy on short jail terms attack at Holyrood, Community based sentences need reform, offenders should be placed in Council Departments and Charities













Dear All

Crime is always a political potato, more so when there is an election in the offing.

And in 90 days Scotland goes to the polls to elect the next government of Scotland.

The public get their say on who will lead Scotland for the next four years.

But back to crime!

In Scotland, there has been a move towards community-based sentences instead of prison terms of three months or less.

The idea is to try and break the cycle of offending which see many people committing crime and returning to prison on a regular basis.

I support community-based sentences for people that are suitable to take part.

Certain categories of offenders are suitable such as those involved in sex and violent crimes, community-based sentences suit best the low level offender to steer them away from trouble while paying back society.

In order of community sentences to work, the environment that the sentences are served are important.

At present the Scottish Government is using Tory language of criminals doing ‘tough manual labour’ as all mainstream parties have a ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ approach.

There is an election on.

Unfortunately, the Scottish Government is wrong treading this path.

Do you see any Tories getting elected first past the post?

No!

Why, because they talk out their arse.

Community-based sentences by offenders should be served by placing people in Council departments, society gets paid back; the offender sees a different lifestyle and this would be more helpful in breaking the cycle of crime.

In order for people to be good they have to do good!

What that means is we must change people’s mentality.

‘East Coast Weasel’ Labour MSP Iain Gray recent spoke out against community-based sentences by saying they don’t work and said some people were sent to jail only after racking up 40 or more offences.

He said:

“The fact is that 40% of those sentenced to community service don’t finish their sentences. And in some parts of Scotland that is as high as two-thirds”.

Labour then produced figures that showed hundreds of first-time inmates last year had 10 or more convictions, another 22 had up to 30 convictions, and six had up to 40 convictions.

So, community-based sentences need reform because patently there is a problem.

They should use the George Laird model that means offenders are placed in Council Departments or Charitable organisations for their community-based sentences.

A normal environment.

The Papillion approach doesn’t work.

And George Laird is always right!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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