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Sentencing Commission membership announced
18/11/2003
The men and women charged with tackling the public's
ongoing concerns about sentencing have been named
today.
The full membership of the new Sentencing Commission for
Scotland was announced by the Justice Minister Cathy
Jamieson. Lord MacLean has already been appointed as
Chair.
The Commission, a key priority of the Scottish Executive
Partnership Agreement, will initially examine the early
release of prisoners from our jails and their subsequent
supervision, and the effectiveness of the use of bail and
remand in ensuring public safety.
It will also go on to examine the key areas of
consistency of sentencing, the effectiveness of sentencing
in reducing re-offending, and the basis on
which fines are determined.
Ms Jamieson said:
"We must ensure that the public have confidence in the
criminal justice system. Sentences must be seen to be fair
and effective - not only for crimes like murder, rape,
violent assaults, drug trafficking - but also for the more
minor crimes that impact on many more people in Scotland,
like vandalism, car theft, housebreaking, and
shoplifting.
"Effective sentencing is not always about locking up
more people for longer. But I also want the Commission to
look seriously at making alternatives to custody more
effective. Short sentences of imprisonment, that do nothing
to rehabilitate or deter, should be avoided.
"The Commission will be able to tackle head-on the
public's concerns about sentencing - and in turn make
recommendations to Ministers that will go a long way
towards building public trust in our criminal justice
system.
"I am pleased to be able to announce the full membership
of the Commission. The members, along with Lord MacLean,
will bring a wealth of relevant expertise and experience -
ensuring a comprehensive and balanced approach to the remit
set for the Commission.
"The men and women appointed are representatives of the
key agencies involved in our criminal justice system,
including the judiciary, voluntary sector, victim
interests, and wider public opinion. I also expect the
Commission to consult widely in the course of its
work."
The Commission, which will meet for the first time on
Wednesday, 26 November 2003, will tackle its remit on a
staged basis, issuing reports as it completes each area of
its work.
The constitution of the Commission will be reviewed
after 2 years.
Biographical details of the members:
The Rt Hon The Lord Mackay of Drumadoon : Lord Mackay
was appointed a Judge in March 2000. He previously served
as Solicitor General for Scotland in 1995 and as Lord
Advocate from 1995 to 1997. He was made a life peer in
1995 and became a Privy Counsellor in 1996.
Sheriff Charles Stoddart, Lothian and Borders : Sheriff
Stoddart has been Sheriff of Lothian and Borders since
1995. He was previously Sheriff of North Strathclyde at
Paisley from 1998 to 1995. He was Director of Judicial
Studies in Scotland from 1997 to 2000.
Sheriff Rita Rae, Glasgow and Strathkelvin : Sheriff Rae
was appointed Sheriff of Glasgow and Strathkelvin in 1997.
She was made a QC in 1992. She is a member of SACRO and
the Scottish Association for the Study of Delinquency.
Mr Bill Gilchrist : Mr Gilchrist joined the Procurator
Fiscal Service in 1976 He has served as Head of the Policy
Unit at Crown Office and as Head of the Fraud and
Specialist Services Unit. He was also Regional Procurator
Fiscal in Paisley before his appointment as Deputy Crown
Agent.
Chief Constable David Strang : Mr Strang has been Chief
Constable of Dumfries and Galloway Police since 2001. He
was previously Assistant Chief Constable, Lothian and
Borders Police, after eighteen years in the Metropolitan
Police.
Mr Alex Prentice : Mr Prentice of McCourts Solicitors is
a Solicitor Advocate and former president of the Edinburgh
Bar Association. He is a member of the Criminal Law, Human
Rights, and Rights of Audience committees of the Law
Society of Scotland.
Ms Valerie Stacey QC : Ms Stacey was called to the
Bar in 1987 and took silk in 1999. She served as Chair of
the Social Security Appeals Tribunal from 1987 to 1993, an
Advocate Depute from 1993 to 1996 and as a Temporary
Sheriff from 1997 to 1999.
Mr Jim Dickie : Mr Dickie has been Director of Social
Work at North Lanarkshire Council since 1996. (Past
President of Association of Directors of Social Work)
Councillor Eric Jackson : Councillor Jackson is Chair of
the Social Work Committee of East Ayrshire Council. (COSLA
spokesperson on social work)
Ms Bernadette Monaghan : Ms Monaghan has been Director
of Apex since March 2002. She was a member of the
Children's Panel for 9 years. She is on the Board for
Families Outside and is secretary of the Edinburgh branch
of the Scottish Association for the Study of
Delinquency.
Ms Kaliani Lyle : Ms Lyle is Chief Executive of Citizens
Advice Scotland. She was a leading anti-apartheid
campaigner and Director of the Scottish Refugee
Council.
Mr David McKenna : Mr McKenna was appointed Chief
Executive of Victim Support Scotland in 2001 having
previously been Principal Officer of Victim Support
Strathclyde from 1986 to 1993 and Director of Operations of
Victim Support Scotland from 1993 to 2000.
Professor Neil Hutton : Professor Hutton's main research
interest is in sentencing and he is co-Director of the
Centre for Sentencing Research at the University of
Strathclyde. He is a leading member of the team which has
developed the Sentencing Information System for the High
Court in Scotland. He is a board member of SACRO.
Professor Chris Gane : Professor Gane has held the Chair
of Scots Law at Aberdeen since 1994, prior to which he was
Professor of Law at the University of Sussex. His research
interests are Domestic Criminal Law and Procedure,
International Criminal Law and Human Rights.
Professor David McCrone : Professor McCrone is a
professor in the Department of Sociology at Edinburgh
University. His expertise includes the sociology of
Scotland.
Mrs Sue Brookes : Mrs Brookes has been governor at HMI
Cornton Vale since July 2002. She was previously Deputy
Govenor at HMP Glenochil from 1998 - 2002, and has held
posts at Edinburgh and Peterhead prisons.