Labour has criticised the Scottish Government for moving £10m out of the prison service budget and into social housing at a time when the jails are in �crisis�.

Labour has criticised the Scottish Government for moving £10m out of the prison service budget and into social housing at a time when the jails are in "crisis".

According to the draft budget for 2009/10, ministers plan to re-allocate £10m from the prison service capital spend budget to health and wellbeing. This will then be repaid in 2010/11.

The aim is to invest the money in the government's affordable housing plans during the credit crunch.

The move was revealed yesterday as the parliamentary Justice Committee heard that Scotland's prisons have exceeded safe levels. Richard Baker, Labour's justice spokesman, said: "Scotland's prisons are in crisis and the SNP's reaction is to cut the budget by £10m.

"This week, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service has said that Scottish prisons can no longer be run safely.

"This is a damning indictment of Kenny MacAskill's mismanagement.

"Mr MacAskill talks about rehabilitation but provides nothing and sits by and watches Scotland's prisons crumble. He needs to reverse this cut immediately.

"His answer to this crisis is to stop anyone given a sentence of six months or less going to prison. That would mean muggers, housebreakers and knife criminals avoiding jail and Mr MacAskill has failed to say what he would do with these individuals.

"He talks about rehabilitation but has failed to put any substantial new resources into the system. "

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: "The Scottish Government has announced record levels of capital expenditure of approximately £120m a year in the capital spend budget.

"This will allow us to build a new prison at Bishopbriggs and continue with the process of redeveloping our prisons to ensure we have an estate fit for the 21st century."