National Strategy for Community Justice: Review Consultation

4. Progress and challenges since publication of the strategy

At the time the strategy was published in June 2022, Scotland’s justice system was in the early stages of recovery following two years heavily impacted by the COVID‑19 pandemic. COVID placed severe pressures across the justice system, including in courts, custody and in the community, and the impact of many of these has been long lasting.

Additionally, in recent years Scotland’s prison population has grown to challenging levels and has remained high. This has presented significant pressures on the operation of prisons and the conditions within them, which in turn can negatively impact efforts to rehabilitate those in custody. There is no single reason for this population increase, but contributory factors include a significant rise in long-term prisoners and an increase in length of sentencing (up by 31% between 2013/14 and 2022/23)^[1]. Whilst there has been a longer-term trend away from short-term custodial sentences, these still make up a notable proportion of sentences. A Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, established to consider how imprisonment and community‑based interventions are used in Scotland and to recommend ways in which a sustainable prison population can be achieved, published its report in February 2026.^[2]

As a result of the high prison population, emergency early releases for some short-term prisoners have been necessary to ensure the prison service can continue to operate effectively and maintain the heath, safety and welfare of prisoners and those that work in prisons. This has involved extensive input and cross-organisational planning from statutory partners and the third sector to support an increased rate of individuals transitioning from a custodial to a community setting.

Despite these challenges, there have been encouraging signs of progress in the provision of community justice since 2022. This includes:

• The number of diversion from prosecution cases commenced rose by seven per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25 from 3,400 to 3,600. This was the highest level in the last ten years.^[3]
• The number of bail supervision cases rose by 17 per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25 to 1,500. This was the highest in the last ten years.³
• Unpaid work hours imposed dropped sharply at the start of the pandemic but have now returned to pre-pandemic levels, averaging around 130,000 per month across year 2024-25.^[4]
• The number of CPOs in existence on 31 March 2025 rose to 18,300, the highest level in the last ten years.⁴
• The successful completion rate for CPOs finished in 2024-25 was 71 per cent, similar to the rates prior to the pandemic.⁴

In addition to the above, 2025 saw the launch of the national throughcare service, Upside, which supports people with a short-term custody sentence rebuild their life following their release from prison. This voluntary service offers support across a range of issues such as housing, health, finance and employment to improve transition back into the community. For the first time, individuals on remand are also eligible to access this throughcare support upon release from custody.

The Scottish Government’s 2026/27 budget included a £10m increase for community justice services, taking total funding to a record £169m and building on the £25m of additional investment made over the past two years. However, the strategy acknowledges the resource pressures faced by partners as well the delivery challenges that are presented by needs that are often complex in nature.