Don’t call prisoners prisoners, says boss of the prison service!
CRIMINALS behind bars will no longer be called ‘prisoners’ or ‘offenders’, Scotland’s jails chief has announced.
Instead they should be referred to as ‘those in our care’, ‘people in custody’, or simply ‘citizens’.
The name change has been proposed by Colin McConnell, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), who previously announced warders should instead be called ‘justice professionals’.
But it has dismayed victims groups, who fear it diminishes the seriousness of crimes such as murder, rape and robbery.
David Hines, of the National Victims’ Association, said: ‘They are prisoners, convicts. Stop this nonsense. Victims are fed up with it.
‘The public are fed up with it. It minimises the seriousness of what they have been sent to prison for, and takes away from victims. It’s outrageous. Prison is too soft, that’s why we have too much crime and disrespect on the streets.
‘Prisoners and their families will be laughing at this, but it’s humiliating for the public and his staff.’
Recently published minutes of an SPS board meeting note: ‘Mr McConnell made a point on the preference that the term “prisoner” or “offender” be replaced with “those in our care”, “people in custody”, or “citizen”.’
Subsequently prisoners were referred to as ‘those in our care’. The SPS said the change was aimed at reducing stigmatisation and helping peoplerehabilitate after release.
Earlier this year, Mr McConnell announced plans to scrap the title of prison officer and replace it with ‘justice professionals’, who have a ‘motivational agent of change tool kit’.
In a jargon-laden report to the Scottish Government, the SPS said the proposals were part of a ‘groundbreaking journey of reform’ which would see it ‘rethink the nature, practice and purpose of custody’, with a ‘holistic approach tailored around individuals and their particular needs’, with inmates encouraged to ‘adopt a non-criminal identity’.
In a 2016 speech Mr McConnell promised to offer criminals a ‘fantastic experience’ on their ‘journey to desistance’. The Scottish Government also wants to change the language used to refer to criminals. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has said he would like to end use of the word ‘offenders’ when talking about criminals. Addressing the justice committee last week, he said he wanted to ‘change the language’ in an attempt to reduce stigmatising them. A spokesman for the SPS said: ‘Mr McConnell has made his views on this matter clear. ‘He has been forthright in his view that we should not stigmatise people. People who offend are, first and foremost, people. ‘We want to help them rehabilitate to become positive citizens.’