There is no doubt that there are too many people in Scotland's prisons, both in terms of squeezing in more than the buildings were designed for and in terms of the proportion of the population in custody. Yet again, the figure has reached an all-time high (of 7609 prisoners), providing further evidence that jailing people is not an effective deterrent. The two main factors that prevent former prisoners reoffending are having a job and being reintegrated into their families. Yet many prisoners, despite rehabilitation programmes in jail, are unsupported when they walk out of the prison gate. The euphoria of freedom can all too quickly become an emptiness that is filled with drink, drugs and a need for money that leads to crime and back to prison.

There is no doubt that there are too many people in Scotland's prisons, both in terms of squeezing in more than the buildings were designed for and in terms of the proportion of the population in custody. Yet again, the figure has reached an all-time high (of 7609 prisoners), providing further evidence that jailing people is not an effective deterrent. The two main factors that prevent former prisoners reoffending are having a job and being reintegrated into their families. Yet many prisoners, despite rehabilitation programmes in jail, are unsupported when they walk out of the prison gate. The euphoria of freedom can all too quickly become an emptiness that is filled with drink, drugs and a need for money that leads to crime and back to prison.

That disastrous circle has a much better chance of being broken if intervention starts before the prison door opens and continues on the other side. Over the past 18 months, Routes Out of Prison has been providing people discharged from three Scottish prisons with help to deal with the problems of the outside world. Half of the 1500 people registered with it were put in contact after release with support workers and "life coaches", who are former prisoners, and 21% of them moved into training or employment. Critics may regard that as a poor return for £1m of taxpayers' money, but it is twice the employment rate of other prisoners. The scheme has still to be evaluated, and the fact that the proportion in jobs has increased with the involvement of employment consultants suggests it could be more focused. However, extending it to the end of the year, as the organisers want, is likely to give a fairer picture of its effectiveness.

It is encouraging that Scotland's only women's prison, Cornton Vale, is one of those taking part, along with Polmont Young Offenders' Institution and Barlinnie, because the new figures show an increase of 90% in the female prison population over the past 10 years. Much of that is owing to a high level of recidivism among women serving repeated short sentences for relatively minor offences. The cyclical nature of the problem is well understood by the Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, who has already announced a new community penalty that would include training with community service as one way of diverting repeat offenders from prison. Until that works its way into the system, a scheme that offers a positive alternative to repeat offending will be cost-effective if it enables prisoners to set up home and care for their children, and helps young offenders to become responsible adults. It is clear from the rising numbers of reoffenders that many need a bridge to the outside world if they are to achieve the sort of settled life they don't want to risk losing by going to prison. The fact that some who have successfully made the transition have become mentors for Routes out of Prison should provide convincing evidence that it is a worthwhile initiative.