| | | |
| | | |
|
|
|
|
 |
Home | Topics | About | News | Publications | Consultations | Search | Links | Contacts | Help |  |
| Consultations > Crime, Law, Justice & Rights |
| |||||||||||||||
Covering Letter
Dear Consultee Re:duce, Re:habilitate, Re:form – A consultation on Reducing Reoffending in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has made the reform of the criminal justice system in Scotland a priority. We have already introduced a number of initiatives and will continue to do so until we achieve a fair, efficient system which delivers the safer communities the people of Scotland deserve. The enclosed consultation pack seeks your views on the issue of reducing reoffending in Scotland. Inside you will find facts and figures about the current criminal justice system in Scotland, how it works, who is involved and the impact they have on reducing reoffending. We want your views about what is good about the system, what can be improved, and how offenders can best be managed in prison and in the community so that the likelihood of their reoffending in the future is minimised. This consultation meets our partnership commitment to consult on proposals to establish a single agency to deliver custodial and non-custodial sentences. We want your views on how our criminal justice services might better be structured to deliver the efficient and effective service we need to reduce reoffending. We are inviting responses from everyone with an interest in our criminal justice system, including those agencies working within the system, those who provide services, communities (victims, those affected by crime and the general public), offenders and their families. A list of those to whom we are sending our consultation pack is enclosed. We want to encourage debate in a number of ways: A series of meetings and focus groups is being arranged to take place over the next 3 months so that we can discuss these issues with you and listen to your views. A discussion forum will take place on the Reoffending Consultation webpages (log on to www.scotland.gov.uk/reoffendingconsultation/) where you can exchange views with other interested parties in addition to your formal response. You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public internet access point is. We are also inviting written responses to this consultation paper by Tuesday 25 May. Written responses may be submitted in the following ways:
Alternatively, you may prefer to send a hard copy of your response to: Reducing Reoffending Division We would be grateful if you could clearly indicate in your response which questions or parts of the consultation paper you are responding to (using the consultation response form if appropriate) as this will aid our analysis of the responses received. All responses should also include a completed Respondee Information Form, which you will find attached to the Response Sheet. This will help ensure we handle your response appropriately. We will make all responses available to the public in the Scottish Executive library by Thursday 24 June and on the Scottish Executive Consultation Web Pages by Thursday 1 July, unless confidentiality is requested. All responses not marked confidential will be checked for any potentially defamatory material before being logged in the library or placed on the website. Decisions on the outcome of the consultation will be made as soon as possible thereafter. A list of the main organisations we are consulting is attached to this letter. A full list is available on request. If you would like any further information about this consultation – including information on how to obtain copies of the consultation pack in alternative formats and languages - please contact Kirsten Davidson on 0131 244 1770. FRANCESCA OSOWSKA
The Scottish Executive Consultation ProcessConsultation is an essential and important aspect of Scottish Executive working methods. Given the wide-ranging areas of work of the Scottish Executive, there are many varied types of consultation. However, in general, Scottish Executive consultation exercises aim to provide opportunities for all those who wish to express their opinions on a proposed area of work to do so in ways which will inform and enhance that work. While details of particular circumstances described in a response to a consultation exercise may usefully inform the policy process, consultation exercises cannot address individual concerns and comments, which should be directed to the relevant public body. Consultation exercises may involve seeking views in a number of different ways, such as public meetings, focus groups or questionnaire exercises. Typically, Scottish Executive consultations involve a written paper inviting answers to specific questions or more general views about the material presented. Written papers are distributed to organisations and individuals with an interest in the area of consultation, and they are also placed on the Scottish Executive website enabling a wider audience to access the paper and submit their responses. Copies of all the responses received to consultation exercises (except those where the individual or organisation has requested confidentiality) are placed in the Scottish Executive library at Saughton House, Edinburgh (K Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD, telephone 0131 244 4552). The views and suggestions detailed in consultation responses are analysed and used as part of the decision making process. Depending on the nature of the consultation exercise the responses received may:
SEconsult A new email alert system for SE consultations SEconsult is currently being planned. This system will allow stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new SE consultations (including web links). SEconsult will complement, but in no way replace, SE distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to ‘keep an eye’ on all SE consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We will publicise the launch of the system on the SE website and would encourage you to register when it is available. If you have any comment about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to Kirsten Davidson at the address provided. MAIN DISTRIBUTION LISTLocal Authorities Prisons Police Courts etc Victims Organisations Voluntary Organisations, including Academic Other Criminal Justice Organisations, including Housing Organisations, including Education and Children’s Organisations Health Organisations, including Equality Groups Trades Unions | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Home | Topics | About | News | Publications | Consultations | Search | Links | Contacts | Help | |
| Crown Copyright | Privacy policy | Content Disclaimer | General enquiries |
