GO TO JAIL ONLY IF YOU WANT TO

New ‘soft touch’ justice scandal as Salmond sends message to thugs

THOUSANDS of criminals will be able to choose to avoid jail under a new ‘soft touch’ justice plan unveiled yesterday. In the latest illustration of the growing leniency in Scotland’s justice system, First Minister Alex Salmond said that some offenders would be allowed to opt out of a prison term.

Instead they would wear an electronic tag, with their movements tracked by satellite in an effort to save money by reducing the country’s jail population. Ministers are planning to launch a consultation on the scheme, which is based on a Swedish system, this summer.

But Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: ‘Once again the SNP’s soft touch on crime is getting out of hand. To even suggest that wearing an electronic tag is an alternative to serving a prison sentence is simply ludicrous.

‘A court has decided that these criminals should be given a custodial sentence to keep them off of our streets and most people would think it would be wrong to give them the option to simply return to their communities with a tracker.

‘ We must always ensure that the punishment fits the crime and this will never be the case if we offer convicted criminals an easy way out.’

Mr Salmond yesterday told MSPs that

ministers will shortly consult on proposals to use satellite tracking devices to monitor offenders serving community sentences.

At First Minister’s Questions, he said the Government was open to considering the Swedish- style system that lets offenders apply for house arrest with a tag instead of an expensive jail sentence.

Mr Salmond added: ‘Last week, the Government’s support team chaired an event at Strathclyde University which heard from the head of the Swedish probation service, and he outlined how their system operates.

‘Many of the characteristics of the Swedish system are already in place in Scotland but a consultation on electronic monitoring this summer will be an opportunity to formally capture any options for improvements. There is very strong evidence that community sentences are an effective alternative to short prison sentences – 58 per cent of offenders imprisoned for three months or less are reconvicted within a year, compared with only 24 per cent of those who receive a community sentence.

‘Electronic monitoring has been used in Scotland since 2002. It continues to play a significant part in offender management and we are consulting this summer on the possible development of the monitoring service to include satellite tracking of offenders.’

But Scottish Labour justice spokesman Lewis Macdonald said: ‘I’m sure that this proposal will come as something of a shock to many victims of crime. It is up to the court to decide the right punishment, not to the offender.

‘If someone convicted of a crime has a say in the punishment, so should the victim.’ At present, tags are used under Home Detention Curfew, when offenders are freed early from jail, often after serving only a quarter of their sentence.

Sheriffs can also impose a tag in place of a prison term. But under the proposed system, a criminal would effectively be able to opt out of going to prison.

In 2006, a judge condemned electronic monitoring as he jailed a thug who carried out a brutal murder while tagged.

Teenager Callum Evans and his accomplice Peter Clark left their victim with 34 horrific wounds during a frenzied attack in Glasgow.

Evans, who had previously been convicted of assault and robbery, was able to murder John Hatfield following a blunder by security firm Reliance.

Meanwhile, Mr Salmond also said yester- day that he believed some convicts should be allowed to vote in the independence referendum, as long as they were not being held in prison.

The Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill states that people in prison will not be entitled to vote in next year’s poll but the legislation does not extend to those on a community sentence.

The First Minister said: ‘When people engage i n crime and receive a prison sentence, they sacrifice some of their entitlements: the entitlement to freedom and also, I believe, the entitlement to vote.’

Scottish Labour justice spokesman Mr Macdonald said: ‘ I just hope this isn’t another attempt by the First Minister to squeeze an extra few votes for his ailing referendum campaign.’