Overview
The Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Government’s call for views on the short-term release of some prisoners; this includes the release of some under-18s in secure care on justice grounds.
Summary of CYCJ’s position
Our response to this consultation is drawn from our practice, participation, research and policy expertise and evidence. We recognise the impacts of current levels of overcrowding and understand the rationale behind proposals to change the release point to 30% for certain short-term prisoners. However, whilst prisoner numbers need to come down significantly, this can not be achieved through reliance on emergency responses alone, and instead we are calling for greater structural reform, centred on prevention and reducing harm.