U is for unfair

the presumption is extended to prison sentences of 12 months or less.

In fact, since the presumption took effect, sentencers have continued to impose prison sentences of three months or less, albeit in smaller numbers. Short periods in prison are long enough to disrupt employment, housing and family relationships, but not long enough to address many of the underlying causes of offending behaviour.

Individuals who receive a prison sentence of six months orlessremainmorelikelythan not to be reconvicted within a year of release. This calls into question whether short prison sentences are the best use of scarce public resources.

Hand in hand with this proposal, there must now be a significant shift of resources from custody to communitybased responses to offending. Sentencers, victims and the wider public need to have confidence that there are credible, properly resourced community-based disposals for those who might otherwise receive a short custodial sentence.

There is no good reason why our imprisonment rate should be almost three times that of Finland, a country with a population the same size as Scotland. We welcome the Government’s proposal to extend the presumption as part of a range of measures to tackle our overreliance on imprisonment as the primary response to offending.

LISA MACKENZIE Policy and Public Affairs Adviser Howard League Scotland Albany Street, Edinburgh I note that the Met Office has revealed its choice of storm names for the coming winter, starting with Aileen and culminating many maelstroms later with Winifred. But what chance is there of dear old Winnie ever being honoured?