Tag: criminal-justice

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Did the media get Murrell 5 years in jail? In 2019 a Labour councillor stole from a charity which then collapsed, causing great harm to locals, and did not plead guilty yet she still avoided jail

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From BBC Scotland in 2019: A former [Labour] councillor has been convicted of taking more than £8,000 from a local charity where she worked. Yvonne Kucuk, 52, was the company secretary for the People’s Development Trust in Dalmarnock, Glasgow. The trust ran the £3.5m Commonwealth Games legacy hub in the area, which was launched by football legend Sir Kenny Dalglish in 2015. But, later financial concerns led to auditors looking over the organisation’s books. Kucuk – ex-Labour councillor for the city’s Calton area – and the trust’s project manager William Faulds, 55, were eventually held by police. A trial heard … Continue reading Did the media get Murrell 5 years in jail? In 2019 a Labour councillor stole from a charity which then collapsed, causing great harm to locals, and did not plead guilty yet she still avoided jail

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Justice secretary able to call for emergency prisoner release as released prisoners are now 27% less likely to re-offend than they were when Labour was in power

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By Professor John Robertson, OBA From BBC Scotland today: Around 470 prisoners could be released early from Scottish prisons by the end of the year. Justice secretary Angela Constance has asked parliament to pass emergency legislation that would see short-term prisoners – within 180 days of their release date – to be freed in tranches in November and December. It is the third time early release has been used in this way in Scotland since last summer. Constance said the move was necessary to prevent overcrowding after the prison population “surged” in the last three months. In a statement to MSPs, … Continue reading Justice secretary able to call for emergency prisoner release as released prisoners are now 27% less likely to re-offend than they were when Labour was in power

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Prison Inspectors reveal that 80% of Barlinnie is not in a ‘wretchedly poor state’ and should know that the first phase of the early release programme was never meant to be the long-term solution

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helped ease the pressure on Scotland’s biggest jail but has done nothing to solve the long-term issue of overcrowding. Professor John Robertson OBA I’ll come back the ‘long-term solution‘ but first the other most popular media extract from the Inspector’s report: BBC Scotland today – Barlinnie jail in ‘wretchedly poor state’ – inspectors The Herald today – Barlinnie in ‘wretchedly poor state’ as new prison waits mount All of the media have pounced on the Inspector’s report from 18-22 November 2024 and have been delighted to find on page 5, just as the wee souls were about to tire: Our … Continue reading Prison Inspectors reveal that 80% of Barlinnie is not in a ‘wretchedly poor state’ and should know that the first phase of the early release programme was never meant to be the long-term solution

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Massive fall in reconvictions per offender

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From the Scottish Government today, the recidivism rates: In England and Wales, in 2022, the figure was 25.5% For interest, in the USA, the recidivism rate after 3 years is 66% and after ten, 82%. Sources: https://www.gov.scot/publications/reconviction-rates-scotland-2020-21-offender-cohort/pages/2/ https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2022/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2022#:~:text=The%20overall%20proven%20reoffending%20rate,proven%20reoffending%20rate%20of%2025.1%25. https://www.success.com/recidivism-rates/#:~:text=More%20than%201.2%20million%20people,the%20Bureau%20of%20Justice%20Statistics. Continue reading Massive fall in reconvictions per offender