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Scottish Prison Commission
23/10/2007
The membership of the new independent Scottish Prisons Commission was announced today by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
The Commission, which meets for the first time tomorrow, is to look at the purpose and impact of imprisonment in contemporary Scotland. It will also analyse the impact for courts, prisons and community justice services of early release provisions contained in the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007.
It will be chaired by Henry McLeish and has been asked to report back by the end of June next year.
Other members include:
- Chief Constable David Strang, Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police
- Sheriff Alistair Duff
- Josephine MacLean, Stipendiary Magistrate
- Geraldine Gammell, Director of The Prince's Trust in Scotland
- Richard Jeffrey, President of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
- Lesley Riddoch, broadcaster and journalist
- Dr Karin Dotter-Schiller, Deputy Director General of the Austrian Federal Prison Service
Mr MacAskill said:
"I am pleased to announce that the chair of the Commission, Henry McLeish, has been joined by a number of well-respected individuals. The personal knowledge and experience of each member means that the Commission now comprises a wide range of interests that reaches well beyond the criminal justice arena. They have agreed to give up their time, free of charge to the public purse, to help take a fresh look at this issue.
"Dr Karin Dotter-Schiller, who has also served as a Judge and as a Public Prosecutor, is one of the founding members of the International Corrections and Prisons Association. Her knowledge and experience will bring an important international dimension to the Commission's deliberations.
"Tomorrow the hard work begins. Mr McLeish is keen to press on with the Commission's work and I look forward to receiving their recommendations.
"The amount of thought and consideration that has gone into the membership selection demonstrates how seriously we are taking this issue. Proportionately Scotland has one of the highest prison populations in western Europe so we need to ask ourselves why? I refuse to buy into the argument that Scottish people are inherently bad, yet we are locking up twice as many offenders as the likes of Ireland and Norway.
"Of course sentencing in individual cases is absolutely a matter for the courts but as the recent reconviction statistics illustrated we face a major challenge in developing a progressive, coherent penal policy. Nearly two thirds of people released from prison are reconvicted within two years - a situation which must be addressed.
"A coherent penal policy needs to encompass a range of appropriate punishments from prison for serious and dangerous criminals to tough community penalties for low risk minor offenders. We will come down hard on serious offenders, but people who could more appropriately be dealt with in the community should not be sent to our already overcrowded prisons. We face a huge challenge but I feel that we have already made some impressive progress. With the Commission's help, I am confident that we can achieve our goal."
During the recent parliamentary debate on penal policy (20th September, 2007) Mr MacAskill announced that former First Minister Henry McLeish would chair Scotland's new independent Prisons Commission.
The Commission's objectives are to consider how imprisonment is currently used in Scotland and how this fits with the Government's wider strategic objectives; raise the public profile of this issue - providing better information to allow a deeper understanding of the options, outcomes and costs; compare the underpinning rationale with current law and practice, including the impact for courts, prisons and community justice services of early release provisions of the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007; and make a report and recommendations by 30 June 2008.
Biogs for Prisons Commission Members
The Rt Hon Henry McLeish - Mr McLeish has unrivalled experience and political expertise as a former First Minister of Scotland, Minister for Enterprise and Life Long Learning, and Minister for Devolution. He was also Minister for Justice between 1997 and 1999 which included responsibility for prisons. In total, Mr McLeish has over 30 years experience of elected office at Westminster, the Scottish Parliament and Fife Council.
Chief Constable David Strang - Mr Strang has been Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police since 29 March 2007. He graduated with a BSc degree in Engineering Science from the University of Durham and a MSc degree in Organisational Behaviour from Birkbeck College, University of London. Chief Constable Strang joined the Metropolitan Police in 1980 and rose through the ranks with a variety of operational and staff office postings. Geraldine Gammell - A graduate from Glasgow University and a chartered accountant by trade, Geraldine Gammell took a career break in 2002 to achieve a better work:life balance. Keen to return to a focused challenging role, she became Director of The Prince's Trust in Scotland, bringing with her valuable private sector experience to building stronger links between The Prince's Trust and private sector funders.
Sheriff Alistair Duff - Born in Fife and a graduate of Edinburgh University Sheriff Duff served as a Procurator Fiscal Depute between 1977 and 1981. A criminal defence solicitor from 1981 until 2004 he qualified as a solicitor advocate in 1993. Sheriff Duff has been a member of both the Council of the Law Society of Scotland and the Parole Board. He was appointed Sheriff in Dundee in July 2004 and currently chairs the Dundee branch of the Scottish Association for the Study of Offenders.
Richard Jeffrey - Mr Jeffrey is currently the President of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and the Chair of the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group. He is also a board member of several organisations including Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, Edinburgh Convention Bureau and Edinburgh Leisure. Until May of this year Mr Jeffrey was also Managing Director of Edinburgh Airport, a post which he held for 6 years. Prior to this he was Managing Director of Aberdeen Airport.
Lesley Riddoch - Lesley Riddoch is a Sony award winning broadcaster and Director of Feisty Ltd - a Dundee based radio, podcast & TV production company. She presents a weekly current affairs programme Riddoch Questions for BBC Scotland and has just published her first book, Riddoch; On the Outer Hebrides. She is a topical newspaper commentator -- regular columns in the Guardian and Scotsman won her a place on the 2006 shortlist of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.
Josephine MacLean - Josephine MacLean graduated from Glasgow University in 1967 having obtained a LL.B degree. In 1975 she became Director of Administration and Legal Services of Monklands District Council. In 1990 she was appointed as a full time Stipendiary Magistrate in Glasgow.
Dr Karin Dotter-Schiller - Dr Dotter-Schiller is one of 2 Deputy Directors-General of the Prison Service in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Vienna, Austria. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna and finished her doctoral studies in 1980. Dr Dotter-Schiller, who has served as a Judge in the District 1 Court of Vienna and as a Public Prosecutor, was one of the founder members of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) - a worldwide organisation dedicated to improving professionalism and standards in the field of corrections and has played an active part in its development.