QUESTIONS are being raised about plans for community alternatives to prison after new figures revealed lengthy delays in the current system.

A Scottish Conservatives inquiry showed hundreds of criminals given community payback orders (CPOs) last year as an alternative to prison waited several months before they could begin.

In some cases, criminals were delayed more than year before starting their payback order, with at least one waiting for 511 days in 2014/15.

The delays, revealed in a Freedom of Information request, also showed 338 offenders waited more than four months after their sentence had been passed last year – an increase of 22 per cent in the space of 12 months. Hundreds more were shown to have waited more than two months.

The details emerged days after Justice Secretary Michael Matheson revealed plans to shift courts away from handing down shorter prison sentences in favour of a greater use of more effective community sentences.

Shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said the delays damaged the rehabilitation prospects of those involved.

“The SNP wants to empty jails across the country, and that will mean more of these CPOs will be used,” he said. “But as it stands, the system is already unable to cope, and ministers must explain how they intend to address that.”

A “presumption against” sending people to jail for less than 12 months is expected to be in place by the end of next year, meaning people found guilty of less serious crimes could be handed community service orders in place of being sent to prison.

Mr Matheson said government legislation would give courts further powers to use electronic tagging as part of community service. He added that evidence had shown more than half of those released from a prison sentence of 12 months or less go on to reoffend within a year. The figure compares to a third who had served community service.

However Mr Kerr said: “There’s clearly a problem with the system when hundreds of criminals are waiting months for their community payback to begin. These unacceptable delays create two serious problems,” he said.

“Criminals already show up to court knowing they stand a good chance of getting off lightly, and having months between the sentence being handed down and CPOs beginning will do nothing to change that mindset.

“And these waits will do nothing to help rehabilitation.”

Scottish Government figures showed that in 2015/16, the most recent year for which figures are available, 412 criminals waited more than two months for their order to start, while 176 were delayed between three and four months.

Mr Kerr added: “It would be far better for these offenders to receive the punishment and get the CPO completed as soon as possible, allowing them to move on from their criminal life.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Local authorities are responsible for delivering community sentences. They have received protected funding of £100 million for criminal social work services with an extra £4m each year for the last two years for community sentencing.

“Community sentences reduce reoffending by supporting people to turn their lives around, keep crime down and communities safe.

“Individuals released from a custodial sentence of 12 months or less are reconvicted nearly twice as often as those who are given a Community Payback Order.”