The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill passed in November 2024, with the legislation aiming to help reduce the high Scottish prison population. With the first prisoners released on February 18, 2025, concern has again been raised regarding the Bill’s effect on victims.
The release point for offenders serving sentences of less than four years will now be changed from 50 per cent of their sentence to 40 per cent. The Scottish Government has announced that there would be “no change to the release point for prisoners serving sentences for domestic abuse or sexual offences”.
However, the charity Victim Support Scotland (VSS) has warned that the move will harm victims. VSS chief executive Kate Wallace told the BBC that the early release scheme leaves victims feeling “deprioritised” over “those who are going to be released”.
Unlike previous early release schemes, the recent Bill does not include the provision of the governor’s veto, which VSS described in November as a “crucial safeguard by preventing the release of prisoners seemed to pose an ‘immediate risk’ to individuals or the public”.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said at the time the Bill was passed that “the measures in this Bill will bring about a sustained reduction in the prison population as well as relieve some of the acute pressure currently being experienced within our prison estate.”
According to the latest figures, there were 8,332 inmates in Scotland’s prisons, above the target capacity of 8,007.
The government has also encouraged victims to use the Victim Notification Scheme (VHS), which allows them to gain information about a prisoner’s parole and release.
This scheme has also come under criticism in recent months. Ms Wallace stated that only a small percentage of victims are currently signed up. She added that the onus should not be on victims to register and criticised the decision by the parole board to not follow-up victims in case they change their minds.
Ellie Wilson and Hannah McLaughlan, two Scottish rape survivors who received letters stating that their offenders would soon be considered for release, launched a parole reform campaign last year.
Although the Early Release Bill excludes sexual offences, Miss Wilson and Miss McLaughlin believe that all victims of crime are not having the parole system clearly explained to them.
Miss Wilson has called the parole system “not fit for purpose”, adding that “no one has fully explained the parole process to me, and I don’t know what, if any, rights I have”.
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