convictions and citizenship
International Women's Day
On International Women’s Day we think of the almost 400 women who are currently detained in Scottish prisons.
News released today by SPS shows images of a new smaller prison for women to be opened in 2020. Scotland has a history of trying to be innovative in regards to women’s imprisonment. Yet the failure of these innovations is also an inescapable part of Scotland’s contemporary prison history, as self-harm and suicide have continued inside the prison, and women’s poverty and social exclusion continue to be entrenched by having been imprisoned. And despite efforts, over the last 40 years we have witnessed the steadily increasing number of women imprisoned in Scotland. But there are lessons in failure that can help us re-think the future of women's penal policy so that it can meet the demands of social justice.
We welcome that the new prison will hold around 20 women. HLS firmly believe that the social and rehabilitative value of small prisons far outstrips the expedient value of economies of scale of larger prisons. But real penal reform and innovation will not be found in a small scale expansion of the women’s prison estate, but through decarceration. We hope that this new prison is a development in that direction. Scottish government should formally commit to reducing the size of the women’s prison population to at least half of what it currently is. With public and political backing, Scotland can take this opportunity to be a world leader in social justice and penal reform by radically cutting the number of females in custody.
However, if we do reduce the prison infrastructure to hold less than 200 women and girls (which would be half the current number), how can the government guarantee against overcrowding? While the recent plans in the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Bill make provisions to extend electronic monitoring which can alleviate prisoner numbers, as HLS recently wrote, this brings with it other risks to citizenship and community life. We should not lose sight that social justice is not only about imprisoning better, but imprisoning less.
Crime falls, but the prison remains
The Scottish Government has just released their annual Court Proceedings statistics. As a result, what we have learned is that the number of people being convicted has fallen. This is welcome news, meaning that fewer people in Scotland become entangled in the criminal justice system. These changing conviction rates are in line with a general fall in crime that has been experienced here and elsewhere, the reports highlight that crime in Scotland is now at a 43 year low.
While the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson, welcomed these findings, this data revealed patterns of punishment that HLS remains seriously concerned about. The average sentence length has risen to just over ten months, a 26% increase over the last decade. This figure may also be artificially deflated because it excludes life imprisonment and indeterminate sentences, which are the longest prison sentences. Therefore, while the number of people being convicted has fallen, ever increasing sentence lengths means the average daily prison population has continued to be consistently high. With an average 135 people per 100,000 being incarcerated, Scotland has one of the most extensive prison systems in Western Europe. Any advances, whilst encouraging, remain overshadowed by the pervasiveness of the Scottish prison.
The good news is further complicated by examining changing sentencing patterns for all disposals across the last ten years. Increasingly, the courts are imposing community sanctions. It appears, however, to be at the expense of the fine, as the use of the prison has stayed the same, with between 13-15% of all of those sentenced over the last decade receiving a term of imprisonment. Despite significant and important changes in court disposals and crime rates, the prison remains an enduring and steadfast feature of the Scottish penal landscape.
A large part of the motivation behind developing alternatives to custody, such as community disposals, was informed by a recognition that the ‘prison may sometimes do good, but it always does harm’ (Scottish Prisons Commission, 2008). But community sanctions are more intrusive than fines, they are certainly not a soft option. If they are in fact displacing the financial penalties rather than the prison, this should be seen as a potentially serious development.
HLS strongly advocates for a reduction in the frequency and the severity of custodial sentences: less people should be imprisoned and sentence lengths should be curtailed. We need to address what appears to be a worrying pattern emerging in Scotland of longer prison sentences being handed down by the judiciary for all crimes. Our vision is for a Scottish sentencing system that reflects the values of social justice in which the prison is used parsimoniously. With crime at an all time low, this should be seen as an opportune moment to reverse Scotland's persistently and troublingly high use of incarceration.
Read More:
Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2016-17
Vision for Penal Reform in 2018
Proposed Advances in Electronic Monitoring
The Scottish government recently introduced the Managment of Offenders (Scotland) Bill. HLS cautiously welcomes the proposed changes to electronic monitoring as a means to directly and assertively reduce Scotland’s troublingly high imprisonment rate. Our wariness, however, is rooted in our concerns about criminal justice net-widening. As we recently wrote, an increase in community sentences over the last decade has not impacted the rate at which Scottish courts give prison sentences. Moreover, the expansion and refinement of electronic monitoring (EM) poses other potential issues for social justice, desistance and citizenship, which HLS remains apprehensive about.
Part of the appeal of EM is that it is considerably cheaper than prison. However, there needs to be sound penological reasons underpinning its use and development. The Scottish government have made it clear that they are interested in reducing re-offending. As a tracking technology EM has no inherent rehabilitative capacities, however, and we are concerned that expanding its use may in fact undermine criminal justice social work. EM cannot replace the human contact and the positive relationship between a social worker and their supervisee. The encouragement and guidance provided by probation can be vital in supporting a person’s rehabilitation, this includes helping someone access education and employment, secure housing and address addiction. Moreover, EM cannot counter the other issues that often underlie offending, namely, socially inequality and lack of opportunities. Monitoring should not be misrepresented as centrally a tool for rehabilitation. Its use, therefore, should be only one among a suite of community supervision and rehabilitation measures.
If that becomes the case, and EM is but one tactic in an integrated programme of community supervision and surveillance, then the severity of punishment for breaching EM should remain in question. If a person who is tagged is generally succeeding in meeting the broader demands of supervision and desistance, we need to seriously consider if breach of EM curfews and exclusion areas should automatically cause a recall to prison.
HLS are also particularly concerned about the proposed creation of exclusion zones that could range "from a house, to specific street patterns, to a neighbourhood, to a whole city. GPS also allows more than one exclusion zone to be set. Using GPS technology to set exclusion zones can help create safe spaces for victims of crime", according to the Scottish government. We worry that a desire for effective and cheaper forms of criminal justice and community protection are superseding more ethical and social concerns about citizenship and reintegration. When people are denied access to large areas of public space, like city centres, it sends a clear statement that they do not belong here, that they do not deserve equal membership of Scottish society. When we block people from full social and civic association we degrade their citizenship as we make people criminal for moving through public spaces. We also blur the lines between the community and the prison. We strongly resist any suggestion that cities and neighbourhoods should be carved up into permitted territories and no-go zones. This has the long-term potential to create a community justice culture of security and exclusion in Scotland, rather than a culture of reintegration and social inclusion.
Relatedly, we know that in Scotland, like elsewhere, people sentenced to prison are largely drawn from the most disadvantaged communities. If the use of EM follows this pattern – and those being tagged and GPS tracked are concentrated in the most marginalised areas – the Scottish government risks converting neighbourhoods that are already hindered by social exclusion into prison-like places, where large sections of the population have restricted movement and liberty. Any attempt to reduce prison numbers and achieve the aims of social justice is seriously undermined if EM inadvertently creates communities of confinement across Scotland.
Any form of tagging and monitoring should be developed with these concerns in mind. EM can support rehabilitation, offer community protection and keep people within their families. But achieving the goals of community justice while mitigating the serious social and civic risks will require a delicate and critical balance. To begin to address some of these issues, and emphasise EM’s potential strengths, longer periods of supervision could be organised on a graded system, becoming increasingly less onerous, with stipulations and exclusions reduced, as time passes. As the Council of Europe wrote, ‘EM can certainly be used in ways which make an offender feel trusted, an important ingredient in the rehabilitation process’. Finally, long-term research is needed to carefully monitor the economic, rehabilitative and qualitative impact of EM on individuals, communities and Scottish civic life.
Read More:
The Scotsman: Scottish criminals ‘could be barred from entire cities’
BBC News: Use of electronic tags to be extended
Iriss (2017) Electronic monitoring in the criminal justice system
Vision for Scottish Penal Reform in 2018
Conviction and Citizenship, Penal Reform for 2018
The centenary of women’s right to vote has been a powerful and timely reminder that citizenship is not automatic, even in democratic societies. We are reminded also that when people are reduced to second class citizenship, and thus socially excluded, it is all too often the result of policy and legislation. The anniversary of women’s right to vote demonstrates that equality for disenfranchised and excluded citizens can be achieved through campaigning, though often in the face of political opposition and public hostility.
When we deny people the right to belong, when we curtail their citizenship and socially marginalise particular groups, we degrade the quality of the democracy across our entire society. During 2018, Howard League Scotland plans to focus our campaigning efforts on Conviction and Citizenship. We aim to highlight some of the ways the criminal justice system impedes citizenship and belonging, and intend to engage with others to discuss how we can best promote these ideals in prison policy, community justice and sentencing. This of course includes our long-running campaign on prisoner voting. Scotland, along with England and Wales, remains one of the few European nations that denies prisoners the right to vote. But the criminal justice system creates many other hurdles that severely hampers people’s ability to contribute and fully belong to Scottish civic life. Other issues, such as the disclosure of criminal records, high imprisonment rates, and access to a high standard of education, training and good quality employment in prisons, should also be viewed in the context of citizenship.
In 2018 we will campaign for:
- A reduction in the prison population size. Scotland has one of the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe. This must be reduced if we are to create a strong and resilient Scottish society that is characterised by equality, social justice and fairness. People who receive a term of imprisonment tend to be disproportionately drawn from Scotland’s most economically marginalised communities. There is a startling link between high rates of imprisonment and high rates of deprivation. Howard League Scotland continues to campaign for a reduction in the use of imprisonment in Scotland because prison negatively impacts the life chances of people sent there. Men and women who have been in prison have higher mortality rates, and a higher risk of homelessness, unemployment and ill-health than the general Scottish population. Scotland’s high imprisonment rates also have hugely detrimental effects for the local communities who are the most impacted by imprisonment as their economic marginalisation becomes further entrenched, family life is de-stabilised, and ordinary local relations become fractured.
- Improved prison education and work. Access to work and education is vital for supporting people’s post-prison social reintegration, developing their sense of belonging and personal worth as well as contributing to desistance. SPS must provide an array of meaningful activities and vocational training options. Scotland should aspire to be amongst the best countries in the world in providing an array of meaningful activities, educational opportunities and vocational training options in prisons and other criminal justice settings.These programmes should be about more than reducing reoffending, but aimed at personal development and future reintegration.
- Spent convictions legislation must be overhauled. Scotland has unduly lengthy periods of time that a person is expected to disclose their past conviction to potential employers. This is a serious hurdle to employment, undermining the process of rehabilitation and social integration, while also stigmatising people with convictions who have to reveal themselves as being ‘ex-offenders’. In 2018 the Scottish government has proposed new legislation which will overhaul the current spent convictions legislation. Though the content of the proposed new legislation is not yet published, HLS strongly supports a robust overhaul of the current arrangements. While the balance of the Act must also support employers who work with vulnerable groups, it should strive to also work in favour of social and economic equality for people with convictions.
- Prisoner voting rights. Since the devolution of electoral matters to Holyrood by the Scotland Act 2016, Scotland now has the opportunity to be the first polity in the United Kingdom to extend the franchise to convicted prisoners. This is not just for reasons of rehabilitation. Prisoner voting is not a criminal justice matter, it is an electoral issue: in its current form it exposes the inequality that currently undermines Scottish democracy. While England and Wales continue to deny prisoners the right to vote, despite the European Court ruling that it is unlawful, by extending the vote to all prisoners, Scottish government can buck this trend, sending the clearest signal yet about its commitment to justice, fairness and inclusion.
We hope that as our supporters, you will join with us in 2018 in addressing these policy issues. By becoming a member, following us on twitter and liking us on facebook, or by making even a small donation, you can add your voice to our campaign for penal reform. Together, we can reduce the number of people in Scottish prisons, transform imprisonment regimes and community justice, and ultimately promote safer and more equal communities in Scotland.
For further details contact: info@howardleague.scot
Spent Convictions Legislation
‘evidence shows that it is eight times harder for a person to gain employment [after imprisonment], with declaration of a criminal record the greatest factor in an employer refusing employment.’ – Scottish Government, Key facts, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
More than 1 in every 3 men and almost 1 in every 10 women in Scotland have a criminal record. A past conviction can become ‘spent’, which means a person with a conviction no longer has to disclose their criminal record after a certain number of years. How long until the conviction is effectively removed from your record is stated in legislation, in Scotland this is the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Regulations that permit past criminal transgressions to become spent are vital as it allows a person to move on from a conviction. However, unduly harsh spent conviction legislation means people have to reveal their criminal history for long periods of time, sometimes forever, severely hindering a person's attempt to find employment, training and volunteering, secure insurance and even open a bank account. These are basic and normal features of adult life, thus spent conviction legislation can render someone a second class citizen as well as socially and economically marginalising them. Moreover, access to these opportunities and routines are important for social reintegration and reducing re-offending. We advocate that a decrease in the period of time that must pass before a conviction becomes spent, what is known as a ‘rehabilitation period’, is overdue. Reducing the ‘rehabilitation period’ removes a significant hurdle, one that blocks a person with a conviction from being socially integrated and disrupts their ability to desist from crime. Change in the spent conviction legislation is due in 2018. Though the content of the proposed new legislation is not yet published, HLS strongly support a robust overhaul of the current arrangements. While the balance of the Act must also support employers who work with vulnerable groups, it should strive to also work in favour of social and economic equality for those with convictions.
Read more:
- Howard League Scotland: How long until my conviction is spent?
- Scottish Government: Key facts, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Pages
Sections
Archive
2023
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HMIPS Thematic Review of Segregation in Scottish Prisons
18th September 2023
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HMP Greenock Full Inspection Report
18th September 2023
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Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill
18th September 2023
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Recorded Crime in Scotland 2022-2023
18th September 2023
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Prison Mobile Phone Phase Out
18th September 2023
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Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill
18th September 2023
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Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service Corporate Plan (2023-26) & Business Plan (2023-24)
18th September 2023
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Prisoner Voting
18th September 2023
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HMP Addiewell Full Inspection
18th September 2023
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Journey Times in Scotland's Criminal Justice System Report
18th September 2023
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Joint Review of Diversion From Prosecution
18th September 2023
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'Still Nothing to See Here' Follow Up Report
18th September 2023
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Scottish Parliament Pre-Budget Scrutiny
18th September 2023
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HMIPS Annual Report 2021-2022
18th September 2023
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HMIPS Strategic Plan 2022-2025
18th September 2023
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HMP Shotts: Full Prison Inspection
18th September 2023
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Court Backlog Modelling
18th September 2023
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Scottish Prison Population Health Needs Report
18th September 2023
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The New Women's Prison Estate in Scotland
18th September 2023
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Recorded Crime in Scotland 2021-2022
18th September 2023
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Scottish Sentencing Council Reports
18th September 2023
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Mental Health Support in Scotland's Prisons 2021: Under-Served and Under-Resourced
18th September 2023
2022
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Judged on Progress: the Need for Urgent Delivery on Scottish Justice Sector Reforms
21st April 2022
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Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019 Implemented
21st April 2022
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Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody
21st April 2022
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Scottish Sentencing Council: Guideline on the Sentencing of Young People
21st April 2022
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HMIPS Annual Report 2020-2021
21st April 2022
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HMIPS Health and Well-Being Pre-Inspection Survey
21st April 2022
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Scottish Sentencing Council Report: Judicial Perspectives on Community-Based Disposals
21st April 2022
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Reconviction Statistics: 2019-19 Offender Cohort
21st April 2022
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Recorded Crime in Scotland 2020-2021
21st April 2022
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HMIPS Liaison Visit to HMP Greenock
21st April 2022
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HMIPS Liaison Visit to HMP Castle Huntly
21st April 2022
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Audit Scotland: Community Justice Sustainable Alternatives to Custody
21st April 2022
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Mental Welfare Commission Report: Women and Mental Ill-Health
21st April 2022
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Membership of the new Scottish Parliament Criminal Justice Committee Announced
21st April 2022
2021
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The Scandal of Remand in Scotland: A Report by Howard League Scotland – May 2021
21st May 2021
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An Urgent Plea from Howard League Scotland Committee
21st April 2021
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Expert Review of Mental Health Support For Young People Entering And In Custody At HMP&YOI Polmont - Final Progress Update
15th April 2021
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Extended Presumption Against Short Sentences Monitoring Information: January – December 2020
15th April 2021
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Scottish Crime & Justice Survey 2019-20
15th April 2021
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Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics: 2019 -20
15th April 2021
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HMIPS Liaison Visit to HMP/YOI Grampian
15th April 2021
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Review of Forensic Mental Health Services in Scotland Final Report
15th April 2021
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The Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Rules
15th April 2021
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Covid19 Court Restrictions Extended
15th April 2021
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The Community Orders (Coronavirus)(Scotland) Regulations 2021
15th April 2021
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The Restorative Justice (Prescribed Persons) (Scotland) Order 2021
15th April 2021
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Allan Marshall FAI Recommendations
15th April 2021
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The Parole Board (Scotland) Amendment Rules 2021
15th April 2021
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Effects of New Covid19 Variant
15th April 2021
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Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) Criminal Case Throughput Data
15th April 2021
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Council of Europe's European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Report
15th April 2021
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Reconviction Rates in Scotland: 2017-18 Offender Cohort
15th April 2021
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Justice Committee Evidence Session - Covid19 Effects on Criminal Justice System
15th April 2021
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HMIPS Liaison Visit to HMP Kilmarnock
15th April 2021
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Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act - Electronic Monitoring
15th April 2021
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Outstanding Unpaid Work (Community Payback Orders)
14th April 2021
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HMP Dumfries Full Inspection
14th April 2021
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New European Prison Rules
14th April 2021
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Scottish Prison Population Statistics 2019 - 2020
14th April 2021
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HMIPS First Liaison Visit to HMP Addiewell
14th April 2021
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HMIPS First Liaison Visit to HMP Edinburgh
14th April 2021
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Disclosure (Scotland) Act
14th April 2021
2020
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HMIPS: Remote Monitoring and Liaison Visits
16th November 2020
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Virtual Visits and Mobile Phones in Scottish Prisons
16th November 2020
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SPS Covid19 Route Map
16th November 2020
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Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2018-19
16th November 2020
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HMIPS Inspection of HMP Edinburgh
16th November 2020
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Jackie Tombs – A Note of Appreciation
20th August 2020
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Three Keys to Unlocking the Problem of Prisons in a Pandemic
25th June 2020
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‘Prisoner householding’: the latest threat from Covid-19
29th April 2020
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COVID-19 in Scottish Prisons: Update #1
30th March 2020
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COVID-19 in Scottish Prisons
30th March 2020
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Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representations) Bill Passed
30th March 2020
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Disclosure (Scotland) Bill Report
23rd March 2020
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Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act
23rd March 2020
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Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representations) Bill Report
23rd March 2020
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Independent Review of the Handling of Deaths in Custody
23rd March 2020
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Evidence to Education and Skills Committee: Disclosure (Scotland) Bill
23rd March 2020
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HMP Glenochil Full Inspection
23rd March 2020
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Council of Europe's European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
23rd March 2020
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Pre-Budget Scrutiny
11th February 2020
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Throughcare Service Provision Announcement
11th February 2020
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Recorded Crime in Scotland: 2018-2019
11th February 2020
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Evidence to Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee: Prisoner Voting
11th February 2020
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Audit Scotland audit of SPS
11th February 2020
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Scottish Government - Programme for Government 2019/20
11th February 2020
2019
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HMIPS Annual Report 2018-19
5th November 2019
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Fatal Accident Inquiry - Allan Marshall (HMP Edinburgh)
5th November 2019
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Franchise Extended to Prisoners to Vote in the Shetland By-Election
5th November 2019
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Suspension of SPS Throughcare Support Service
25th July 2019
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Management of Offenders (Scotland) Bill
1st July 2019
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Presumption Against Short Sentences (PASS)
28th June 2019
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UN Committee Against Torture - Key Concerns
11th March 2019
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New Strapline Brief
28th January 2019
2018
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Call for Submissions: 40th Anniversary Conference 'Reimagining the Future'
20th December 2018
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First HLS Student Society Launches
28th September 2018
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Critical Issues in Scottish Penal Policy: Prison Reductionism
21st September 2018
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Critical Issues in Scottish Penal Policy: Disclosure of Convictions
20th September 2018
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Critical Issues in Scottish Penal Policy: Prisoner Voting Rights
19th September 2018
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Critical Issues in Scottish Penal Policy: Inequality & Imprisonment
18th September 2018
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Critical Issues in Scottish Penal Policy: Prison Officers
17th September 2018
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Remand: A life or death crisis in Scotland
8th August 2018
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Phones in Prisons: Reconnect or Rehabilitate?
11th July 2018
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Raising the bar of youth justice: the minimum age of criminal responsibility
9th July 2018
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Justice Committee Remand Report
25th June 2018
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HLS Gives Evidence to Parliament
17th May 2018
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HLS Management of Offenders Submission
17th May 2018
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Press Release: HLS Statement on Equality and Human Rights Committee
14th May 2018
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Committee Recommends ban on prisoner voting should be removed in its entirety
14th May 2018
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Call for Trustees
9th May 2018
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Achieving Social Justice in 2018: Prisoner Voting Rights
19th April 2018
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Scottish Prisons in Comparative Perspective
20th March 2018
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HLS Welcomes Increase in Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility
14th March 2018
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Scotland Must Reform Life Sentences
12th March 2018
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International Women's Day
8th March 2018
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Crime falls, but the prison remains
28th February 2018
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Proposed Advances in Electronic Monitoring
28th February 2018
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Vision for Scottish Penal Reform in 2018
21st February 2018
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Spent Convictions Legislation
14th February 2018
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How long until my conviction is spent?
14th February 2018
2017
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Evidence on prisoner voting rights for Equalities and Human Rights Committee
7th September 2017
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Howard League Scotland response to Scottish Government's 2017/18 Programme for Government
6th September 2017
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Reviewing progress on female imprisonment in Scotland
26th June 2017
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HOWARD LEAGUE SCOTLAND RESPONSE TO DRAFT SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM BILL (2016)
13th March 2017
2016
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Scottish prisons design capacity and average daily populations (2015/16)
20th September 2016
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HLS response on minimum age of criminal responsibility
23rd June 2016
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2016 HOLYROOD ELECTIONS: REVIEW OF PARTY MANIFESTOS
29th April 2016
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Statement on presumption against short periods of imprisonment
9th February 2016
2015
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Response from Howard League Scotland to consultation on proposals to strengthen the presumption against short periods of imprisonment
23rd December 2015
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Briefing on Community Justice (Scotland) Bill
19th November 2015
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Howard League Scotland website problems
20th October 2015
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Reform of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
7th September 2015
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Guest blog: Restructuring Community Justice in Scotland
1st September 2015
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Response to Scottish Government announcement on women offenders
22nd June 2015
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Prisoners (Control of Release) Bill - Stage 3 briefing
21st June 2015
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Women's Penal Policy Campaign Still Needs Champions
18th April 2015
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Latest Crime and Punishment Statistics Scotland
23rd March 2015
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Perspectives from inside Barlinnie
23rd March 2015
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Prisoner Voting
23rd March 2015
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Experiencing Long-term Imprisonment in Scotland
23rd March 2015
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Standards for Inspecting and Monitoring Prisons in Scotland
23rd March 2015
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Automatic Early Release
27th February 2015
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Prisoners (Control of Release) (Scotland) Bill Feb 2015
24th February 2015
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Blueprint for Reform
19th February 2015
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Automatic Early Release
4th February 2015
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Inverclyde in the news
26th January 2015
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Howard League Scotland welcomes bold decision on Inverclyde
26th January 2015
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HLS in the news: automatic early release
19th January 2015
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Ban on automatic early release
13th January 2015
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Grampian Prison Radio Station
13th January 2015
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January 2015 Scottish Prison Population
12th January 2015
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Pat Carlen on Women in Prison - an indictment of society
7th January 2015
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Death, Addiction and Decay - Health matters in Scottish prisons
5th January 2015
2014
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Inverclyde - a new year's resolution?
18th December 2014
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Can Prison Work?
1st December 2014
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New Cabinet Secretary for Justice
21st November 2014
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Ageing Prison Population
19th November 2014
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People in prison: a snapshot
5th November 2014
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Possible Smoking Ban in Scottish Prisons
3rd November 2014
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Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2015-16
3rd November 2014
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Scottish Imprisonment - Recent trends and Costs
31st October 2014
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HLS Convenor, John Scott QC, Annual SACRO Lecture
30th October 2014
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Prison Visiting Committee Reform
30th October 2014
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Lord Carloway Drummond Hunter Lecture - full paper
27th October 2014
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Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2014/15
11th October 2014
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Scottish Government: What Works to Reduce Crime?
10th October 2014
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Prison Population
8th October 2014
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Rehabilitation and Resettlement
8th October 2014
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Getting it Right For Every Child
6th October 2014
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Youth Justice Under the Radar
6th October 2014
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Extended Family Visits
6th October 2014
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Is prison the only future for women's penal policy?
1st October 2014
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Baroness Corston: Inverclyde prison 'will fail'
1st October 2014
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Scottish Imprisonment September 2014
26th September 2014
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Greenock Inspection
26th September 2014
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Howard League Scotland calls for voting rights for prisoners
23rd September 2014
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VOTERS ASKED TO REMEMBER THOSE WITH NO VOICE
18th September 2014
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Prison Population - September 2014
9th September 2014
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Prison Population - September 2014
9th September 2014
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Past, Present & Future - Women's Penal Policy
20th August 2014
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HMP Grampian - Incapacitant Spray Used
13th August 2014
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A Shine Mentor on Women Offenders: From Where I Stand...
11th August 2014
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SPS Annual Report 2013-2014
16th July 2014
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Prison Population - July 2014
11th July 2014
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Scottish Prisoner Voting Arrangements
3rd July 2014
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Breaking the Cycle of Building Bigger Prisons
1st July 2014
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HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Report 2013-2014 Published
25th June 2014
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The problem with prison population predictions
12th June 2014
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SPS Prisoner Surveys 2011-2013
10th June 2014
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SPS Custodial History and Substance Misuse 2014
6th June 2014
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Scottish Prison Population May 2014
4th June 2014
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Criminal Justice Social Work Annual Report 2012-13
29th May 2014
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SCCJR Report on Training for SPS Staff
26th May 2014
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Prison Transformation in Dominican Republic
24th May 2014
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WHO Report on Prison Health Care
24th May 2014
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Problems Implementing Human Rights in Prison Practice
20th May 2014
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Automatic Early Release May 2014
16th May 2014
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Prison and Desistance - (Re)turning point?
15th May 2014
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PQ re pregnant women in HMP Inverclyde
14th May 2014
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PQ on healthcare services for HMP Inverclyde
14th May 2014
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PQ on transport links to Inverclyde
14th May 2014
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PQ on Inverclyde - which experts consulted in design phase?
14th May 2014
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PQ on Inverclyde - different security levels?
14th May 2014
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Children are 'Innocent Victims' of imprisonment
14th May 2014
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PQ on Inverclyde Family Visiting Facilities
14th May 2014
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Proposal to end automatic early release
12th May 2014
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Prison Population - May 2014
11th May 2014
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Startling Differences in Regional Imprisonment Rates
2nd May 2014
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Moral Panic or Moral Crusade?
1st May 2014
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Moral Panic or Moral Crusade?
1st May 2014
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Criminal Justice Social Work Annual Report 2012-13
1st May 2014
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Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill - Women's Penal Policy
24th April 2014
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218 Service - Case Studies
18th April 2014
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218 Project - Women's Penal Policy
18th April 2014
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Anne Pinkman, SWGWO - Women's Penal Policy
17th April 2014
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Karyn McCluskey,Violence Reduction - Women's Penal Policy
17th April 2014
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Maura Daly, Circle - Women's Penal Policy
16th April 2014
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Sarah Roberts, Families Outside - Women's Penal Policy
16th April 2014
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Tam Bailie, Commissioner for Children and Young People
15th April 2014
-
CJA Chief Officers - Women's Penal Policy
15th April 2014
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Thinking about women's penal policy
14th April 2014
-
Thinking about women's penal policy
14th April 2014
-
Thinking about women's penal policy
14th April 2014
-
Thinking about women's penal policy
14th April 2014
-
Howard League Scotland in the News
14th April 2014
-
Dr Margaret Malloch - Women's Penal Policy
14th April 2014
-
Tom Halpin, Sacro - Women's Penal Policy
14th April 2014
-
What's right for women offenders?
13th April 2014
-
CPT Recommendations Scotland - March 2014
27th March 2014
-
Scotland's Prison Population 1998-2013
5th March 2014
-
Scottish Sentences
13th February 2014
-
HLS Event in the News
13th February 2014
-
Scottish Prisons in the News
7th February 2014
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Recruiting ex-offenders - James Timpson Lecture
3rd February 2014
-
Prison Visiting Committee Reform
30th January 2014
-
Scottish Prison Population 3rd January 2014
21st January 2014
-
Prison Policy in the News
18th January 2014
2013
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Women Offenders
23rd December 2013
-
Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill
23rd December 2013
-
Prisoner voting and the independence referendum
23rd December 2013
-
Independent monitoring of prisons
23rd December 2013
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Appointment of Howard League Scotland’s first President
23rd December 2013
-
Female Imprisonment in Scotland - Survey 2013
12th December 2013
-
Scottish Crime and Convictions Figures 2012-2013
26th November 2013
-
Justice Budget 2014/15
11th October 2013
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Howard League Scotland Calls On MSPs To Let Short Term Prisoners Vote In The Independence Referendum
12th September 2013
-
SPS Annual Report 2012-13
1st July 2013
-
Prisoner Voting
21st March 2013
2012
-
Angiolini Commission on Women Offenders
1st May 2012
2011
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Scottish Survey - Female Offenders (2011)
1st December 2011
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SCCJR: Female Imprisonment in Scotland
31st October 2011
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Cornton Vale Inspector of Prisons Report 2011
11th June 2011
2009
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SCCJR Report on Developing Sentencing & Penal Policy
9th August 2009
2006
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Women in Prison in Scotland, SCCCJ Report
3rd November 2006
