By Professor John Robertson OBA
Prisoner reconviction rates, like suicide, abortion, stillbirth, infant mortality and drug deaths represent a window into the wider success of a government over the longer term. In Scotland, all have been falling since the SNP came to power. The partial exception, drug deaths, have stalled as the country faces a spreading plague of English County Lines drug gangs bringing violence and more frequent overdoses resulting from cheaper and more deadly drug supplies.
In 2008/2009, there were 0.6 reconvictions per offender, on average.
By 2020/2021 (latest figures) there were 0.44, a 27% reduction.
Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202400437050/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Yet another good news story Scots will not learn from our media. As usual the media treat Scots like growing mushrooms .. keep them in the dark and feed them B ***shit.
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I had a boss who when offending data rose berated us for letting things get out of control, and when it fell he blamed us for not detecting enough.
Alasdair Macdonald.
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Still too many in prison are on the spectrum with less support, and drug offences. 7000 men. 200 women. 2000 on remand too long. Prison not the right place for the neurodiverse. Too noisy and light. Link between alcohol/drug use and crime.
Scottish Gov funding total abstinence, proper rehab. £250Million over five years. It could take the drug deaths down. Instead of putting people on methadone for years and taking other substances. Methadone is just as damaging as heroin. More young people with addiction are coming forward to NA, AA and getting help. Drug of choice now cocaine and ketamine. Over long term harmful and deadly.
UK highest number of prisoners compared to the EU.
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@ prisoners
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Last night on Scotland Tonight they were discussing the early release of a certain category of prisoner from Scottish prisons, a move that Prisoner Officers have agreed with , based on grounds of safety and so Scotland Tonight tweeted this:
“Hundreds of prisoners are set to be released early from our crowded jails. A sensible move or a threat to public safety”?
Prisons Officers have stated that prisons , via the current situation, are “over crowded, dangerous and violent” so then is it , according to opposition MSP’s and certain parts of the MSM, better to ignore that and so not act as a Scottish government , thus potentially creating a worse problem indeed a crisis.
Which then would also result in the opposition parties and the MSM then continuing to still declare #SNPBAD ?
(As in with them, the Scottish government, then not taking any action upon this, as based upon prison Officers advice and opinions as those involved within this environment).
Also why was this seen as acceptable for the Tories to formerly do and now also the Labour UK government to do too , but for Tory and Labour MSP’s and also Thomas Kerr a Tory councillor, somehow they have all rationalised that it is not acceptable for the SNP as the Scottish government to do as well?
Colin Mackay was discussing it with Tory Councillor Thomas Kerr & the SNP MSP Fulton MacGregor.
Mr MacGregor made the valid point that the previous Tory UK government released prisoners early and also the current Labour UK governments were also doing this too, which Thomas Kerr then incorrectly (deliberately) translated as him, Mr Macgregor, saying that he, Mr MacGregor, was “blaming UK governments”.
Mr MacGregor corrected Kerr by stating that he was not blaming the previous and current UK governments but instead was simply stating that they too were doing what the Scottish government was doing, as in releasing certain prisoners early from overcrowded prisons.
In other words, this was merely Mr Kerr making yet another infamous non point or rather him clearly making what was an intentional and very wrong , and obvious partisan interpretation , which was once again yet another #SNPBAD conclusion from one who was in opposition to the SNP.
After this debate Scotland Tonight had a panel to discuss this (and other matters) which comprised of former Tory Councillor John McLellan, former Labour Scottish Parliament candidate Cat Headley & a columnist for the Scottish National Shona Craven (yet again two Unionists against one who supports Scottish independence, a common non balanced pro Unionist ratio via the media).
So do you think Tory John McLellan and Labour’s Cat Headley would give their opinions on the early release of prisoners in Scottish prisons by the Scottish government from an unbiased and non partisan perspective ?
Well I never watched that far indeed I only watched up to the part where Fulton MacGregor corrected aka Schooled Thomas Kerr’s incorrect yet very much deliberate and tactical misunderstanding of what he, Mr Macgregor, had said in relation to Labour and Tory UK governments having also released early lots of prisoners too from other parts of the UK .
Kerr was simply doing what Douglas Ross always did (and too other Tory MSP’s also do) as does Anas Sarwar do too, in them all declaring that the SNP are always “Blaming someone else” while they all forget this fact:
The Tories as the former UK government always blamed others for their incompetence and inability to get things done (correctly and on time).
The Tories , at both UK and Scottish level, also always blamed the SNP for what they said was Scottish public services being both terrible and also destroyed.
The current Labour UK government are blaming the former Tory UK government for all of their, Labour’s, bad decisions as the new UK government which are mostly impacting the most vulnerable within their UK.
They, the Labour UK party, also blame the SNP for supposedly being solely responsible for what they state is them, the SNP, supposdley destroying public services in Scotland.
The Labour party in Scotland also blame the SNP for all that they say is wrong within Scotland, while also excusing the UK Labour party as being to blame for what they, Labour in Scotland, also state is the fault (or sole blame) of the previous Tory UK government.
The lesson being that both the Tories and the Labour party expect us the public to see them as both being blameless but they both concur that we, the public, must also always see the SNP as being those to blame for what they, the Tory party and the Labour party, say is #ScotlandIsSh*te & #SNPBAD.
Maybe we also need to release the Tories and Labour parties from having anything to do with Scotland at all , if that is , we want more honesty and fairness in our politics as opposed to the constant accusations from political rogues and chancers who still seem to assume that the rules for them are ‘Do as I say not as I do”.
Time we had a real “Change” and an actual “Fresh start” from the both of them.
#ScottishIndependence.
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