Prisoners' human rights is priority of Scotland's visiting committees
I write in response to the decision by the Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, to abolish prison visiting committees and replace them with an advocacy service ("Demands to save prisons body mounts", The Herald, February 6).
Until this matter became public, many MSPs and councillors had no knowledge of the role of visiting committees, the members of which give their time free to monitor Scotland's prisons.
Alex Salmond talks of "taking Scotland forward". Surely Scotland should be proud to say its prisoners have an independent forum through visiting committees, which have the right to visit unannounced, at any time, to monitor treatment, complaints and care in the penal establishment. Committee members make sure human rights are not taken away while the prisoner serves the sentence. It is vital that such a closed system is open to public scrutiny. This is part of what makes Scotland a civilised nation.
Prisoners' human rights is priority of Scotland's visiting committees
I write in response to the decision by the Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, to abolish prison visiting committees and replace them with an advocacy service ("Demands to save prisons body mounts", The Herald, February 6).
Until this matter became public, many MSPs and councillors had no knowledge of the role of visiting committees, the members of which give their time free to monitor Scotland's prisons.
Alex Salmond talks of "taking Scotland forward". Surely Scotland should be proud to say its prisoners have an independent forum through visiting committees, which have the right to visit unannounced, at any time, to monitor treatment, complaints and care in the penal establishment. Committee members make sure human rights are not taken away while the prisoner serves the sentence. It is vital that such a closed system is open to public scrutiny. This is part of what makes Scotland a civilised nation.
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Don't show me this again.