Greens bid to rid justice system of private firms

Private companies should not be allowed to profit from the criminal justice system, according to the Scottish Greens.

John Finnie MSP will put forward an amendment to prevent any firm other than public bodies or charities from getting contracts in courts, prisons and the monitoring of criminals.

It comes as Holyrood’s justice committee begins the second stage of considering the Management of Offenders Bill.

Mr Finnie said: “The expansion of electronic monitoring supports proposed by this legislation sees the introduction of new technologies, such as GPS, which will improve the effectiveness of electronic monitoring, for example through the use of exclusion zones.

“However, it places even more personal information in the hands of the present operator, a commercial company.”

He added: “My proposal would ensure that only the public or third sector would take responsibility for this important public safety issue.”

The Management of Offenders (Scotland) Bill will create a new offence of being “unlawfully at large” – giving police powers of arrest and forced entry.

The bill comes in the wake of the murder of father-of-three Craig Mcclelland from Paisley by an attacker who had disabled his electronic tag while on a curfew.