Soft touch justice claims as Scots offenders avoid court
● Diversions from prosecution rise by 7% ● One in three don’t finish payback order
The number of Scots offenders avoiding court after their case was passed to social workers is on the rise, prompting claims of a “soft touch” justice system.
The number of “diversions from prosecution” has risen by 7 per cent to more than 1,800 over the past year, official figures have revealed.
One in three criminals are also failing to complete community payback orders, with only 68 per cent of offenders finishing them.
The Scottish Government insists about eight million hours of unpaid work has been carried out by people serving community sentences since 2011.
Justice secretary Humza Yousaf insisted this approach worked better than “ineffective” short prison sentences.
But more than a third of the orders did not include “unpaid work or other activity”, according to the Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics for 2018-19, prompting claims they provide no rehabilitation.
Tory justice spokesman
Liam Kerr said: “The SNP’S soft touch justice clearly isn’t an effective answer to Scotland’s rising crime rate.
“This significant increase in diversions from prosecution denies more victims the justice they deserve while offenders avoid any meaningful punishment.”
Unpaid work by offenders serving community payback orders (CPOS) includes maintaining pavements, clearing drains, making furniture for foodbanks and schools, gardening and painting.
Mr Yousaf said: “While prison is necessary for offenders who pose a significant public safety risk, short-term custoengine dial sentences are an ineffective means of rehabilitation. Imprisonment, including remand, disrupts families and communities, employment and housing – the very factors that deter offending and keep crime down.
“Unpaid work completed by people serving CPOS benefits local projects and helps them to become active and responsible contributors to their community.”
The number of people given supervised bail rather than being remanded in custody increased 26 per cent between 2017-18 and 2018-19, the figures show.