National strategy for community justice: delivery plan update 3 – December 2024

Strategic context

This update covers the nine months up to and including December 2024, during which Scotland’s prison population has been at a persistently high level, adding to pressures on various parts of Scotland’s justice system. Although not in the scope of the National Strategy for Community Justice, legislative action has been taken to ensure that prisons continue function effectively, focus on those who pose the greatest risk of harm and provide support to help reduce reoffending and help integration back into the community.

In June and July, the emergency early release of some short-term prisoners saw 477 people released over a series of four tranches. Separately, in November the Scottish Parliament passed the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill, which reduces the release point for some short-term prisoners from 50% of sentence served to 40%. While these measures fall outside of this plan, it is recognised that many of the organisations involved in prisoner release are also central to the delivery of community justice services, which may result in additional workloads and pressures. It is in this context that updates to deliverables are given.