Call for action on future of prison visiting committees

Chief Reporter

Monday 3 October 2011

SCOTLAND'S historic prison visiting committees have written to the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill expressing "frustration and disappointment" at delays in the decision about their future.

Custom byline text:

Lucy Adams Chief Reporter

A Scottish Government consultation, initiated a year ago, suggested they were playing an important role and their work is considered so highly that last week an official Russian delegation visited to find out more about them.

However, ministers have still made no decision about the existence of the committees, which were established in 1876 and are made up of trained, unpaid volunteers who monitor and provide independent analysis of prison and prisoner conditions.Jim Scott, chairman of the Cornton Vale young offenders visiting committee, said: “We feel we have been hung out to dry. Our work is acclaimed internationally. The Russian delegation chose to visit us,not England and Wales, and yet ministers can still not give us an answer.”Visiting prisons is one of the seven virtues found among the 15th-century carvings at Rosslyn Chapel and the committees were established to open up prisons to wider scrutiny. There are 16 visiting committees in Scotland which hear and investigate requests and complaints by prisoners and are obliged to pay fortnightly visits to prisons. Members of the committees, which monitor young offenders, are appointed by the Justice Secretary. The remainder are appointed by local authorities.Of 60 responses submitted to the Scottish Government consultation, only the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) comments were negative. In their letter to Mr MacAskill, the committees, which are statutory bodies, raised concerns over their uncertain future. The letter from the Association of Visiting Committees also expressed concern that recommendations from another consultation looking at their role in 2005 have still not been implemented or agreed.The 2005 review concluded: “Visiting committees continue to provide a unique community-based means of ensuring that the people detained on our behalves in prison are decently treated, regardless of what they have done. “Visiting committees, whose members are all volunteers, should be the community’s eyes and ears in the prison system.”The letter to Mr MacAskill states: “I am writing on behalf of the Association of Visiting Committees to express our frustration and disappointment at the continuing delay in announcing a decision on the future role of visiting committees following the review announced by you at our annual conference last October. “As I am sure you recall, at the time of the announcement it was envisaged that the responses to the consultation exercise would be considered and a decision announced before the Scottish Parliament election in May.“It follows on from an earlier review started in 2005 and completed in 2007 but in respect of which a number of actions for Government and SPS remain unimplemented.“I hope you will understand why, in the seventh year of review and uncertainty, there are those who doubt the Government’s commitment to robust, impartial and effective monitoring of prisons.”A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government consulted on the independent monitoring of prisons earlier this year. The process involved the publication of a consultation paper, prisoner focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders. We are considering the evidence gathered and will shortly come forward with a set of proposals.”

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Call for action on future of prison visiting committees

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED