Grim stats
Shock figures have revealed the Cambuslang postcode area to have the second highest number of young offenders in Scotland over the past four years.
Between 2011 and 2015, 90 young men from the G72 postcode were locked up.
The Cambuslang postcode has been listed second in a league table of areas that produce the most young criminals.
The G72 code, cover ing Cambuslang and Blantyre, saw 90 youngsters caged between 2012 and 2015.
Figures for those attending Polmont Young Offenders institute in Stirling show that Cambuslang was only second to neighbouring Wishaw when it came to the number of men aged between 16 and 21 who were locked up.
Also in the South Lanarkshire Council area, Wishaw’s ML2 postcode saw 113 of its young men jailed in the past four years.
Third place went to the G81 postcode, covering Clydebank and Dalmuir. It had 82 youngsters behind bars.
In Rutherglen a total of 53 young men were jailed in the four- year period - the same number as the G20 postcode area which takes in Maryhill and Ruchill.
The town was listed seventh in a league table for Glasgow postcodes alone, with places such as Royston, Springburn, Sighthill, Pollok, Possilpark and Lambhill all producing high numbers of young offenders.
The figures, released by the Scottish Prison Service, do not include women aged under 21 who are normally sent to Cornton Vale.
Councillor Richard Tullett who represents Cambuslang West ward said: “It is worth remembering that these figures cover a four-year period so they need to be seen in that context, but behind every statistic there is a victim or victims of crime.
“We need to be assured that the criminal justice system works appropriately by punishing criminals for their crimes but also looking to rehabilitate.
“I know that there is a tendency to focus on the issue of diversionary activities and community facilities when talking about this issue. Facilities such as the Lifestyles at Eastfield in my ward are important in providing activities for everyone in the local community, but the issue of facilities should never be seen to provide an excuse for crime.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service however said the figures - revealed in a freedom of information request - showed there is a direct link between people being sent to prison and poverty.
He said: “The FOI is simply a snapshot of a moment in time.
“We’ve done previous research that indicates a strong correlation between people in prison and deprivation.”
But he said efforts to prevent young people getting into the prison system were paying off, with a third fewer in custody than six years ago.
In 2005, a study by former Barlinnie prison governor Roger Houchin found that half the people in Scotland’s jails came from the poorest 155 of the country’s 1200 council wards.