Lawyer backs call for reform
Lawyer Darryl Lovie has backed Livingston manager David Martindale’s call for judicial reform.
He told how he sees the same offenders “week in, week out” in court.
Lovie, a partner at Keegan Smith Defence Solicitors in Livingston, said: “David Martindale is a wonderful example of someone who has been rehabilitated.
“He has turned his life around and that is remarkable.
“Rehabilitation, alongside punishment, is a fundamental principle of the criminal justice system but one that is badly neglected in Scotland.
“Sadly, people get locked into a pattern of repeat offending.
“I see the same faces in court – week in, week out.”
Lovie told how two of his clients have died since Christmas following years of addiction.
He added: “For many caught up in these chaotic lifestyles, addiction is usually not the cause but a consequence of their troubled lives.
“Almost all have a story of childhood trauma or poverty, often with a background of sexual abuse or domestic violence.
“If we are going to tackle reoffending, we’re going to have to move away from concentrating so heavily on punishment.
“With our prisons busier than ever, frankly, that isn’t working.
“The need to tackle this vicious cycle can no longer be ignored.
“Rehabilitation is the key and we are working with social services to try to improve this in and around Livingston.
“In practical terms, that work has seen us co-operating with the authorities to try to get more rehabilitation beds for people tackling addiction.”