Give victims a say on parole, Tories urge
VICTIMS of crime should be allowed to attend parole hearings, give impact statements and appeal decisions, the Tories have told ministers.
The Scottish Conservatives said a review of the parole system should put victims at the heart of decisions.
The suggestions were made in a formal submission to ministers, after they ordered a review of the way the system operates.
It follows public outcry at the case of James Wright, who murdered young father Craig McClelland while ‘unlawfully at large’ after breaching a home curfew order.
In a letter to the Scottish Government, Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said action is necessary to restore public confidence and stand up for victims.
He said his party wants to see a shake-up of the parole board system, including victims being able to attend hearings where they would be able to ‘make their position clear’ by reading out an impact statement.
And he said the parole board should provide information on how they reach their decisions, while a stronger right of appeal should be introduced.
Mr Kerr said: ‘Too often, politicians on both government and opposition benches only consider these matters in the wake of an egregious example, like that we’ve seen here in recent weeks. This needs to end.
‘Rather than mopping up after injustice, it’s time we acted to prevent these cases from happening in the first place.’
The Scottish Government said decisions about parole are taken by the independent Parole Board for Scotland, and ministers do not comment on their decisions.
It also said the parole board had no involvement in the James Wright case, because he had a home detention curfew.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We have already ended automatic early release for offenders who commit the most serious offences. Nonetheless, the process for parole decisions and notifying victims is kept under continual review.
‘We are currently considering how the findings of the recent parole system review in England could be applied to Scotland.’
Wright, 25, stabbed Mr McClelland, 31, a father of three, to death in a street in Paisley last July.
Wright had been jailed in October 2016 for carrying a sharp implement but was released on a home detention curfew on February 13 last year. He breached the order after 11 days but remained at large for six months.
SENTENCING has, to a great extent, been taken out of the hands of judges and handed to the faceless parole board.
The Tories are proposing a root-and-branch change to the system which would, finally, put victims and their families at its heart.
Will Justice Secretary Michael Matheson – so out of touch that he risibly declared most of us never see crime – set aside his softtouch agenda to deliver this pivotal change?