Don’t take jail time away from those who make violent threats, urges MSP
An MSP whose family was threatened by a man has urged the Justice Secretary to ensure offenders like this are still sent to prison amid new proposals.
The man who threatened to kill Tory MSP Stephen Kerr and his family has been jailed twice in the past decade, with his second arrest coming just yards from the MSP’s home.
The Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission report was released on Friday and recommended a presumption against sentences which are less than two years – up from the current 12 months.
Speaking at Holyrood, Mr Kerr said: “This report is a gift to criminals and a slap in the face to victims of crime across Scotland.
“It has been produced by people who are far more concerned with offenders than with the harm they cause.
“Will the Cabinet Secretary rule out implementing any recommendation from this report that would remove or restrict the use of custody in cases involving credible threats of violence?”
Responding, the Justice Secretary said she was “deeply sorry and concerned” to hear of Mr Kerr’s experience.
She added: “Victims are paramount in our considerations and public safety will always be paramount to me.”
She added: “The crux of the matter for me… is that a high prison population, for me, doesn’t necessarily equate to a safer Scotland.
“That’s why I commissioned this report, so that we could look sincerely and deeply at the evidence, because I know, at the end of the day, we all want safer communities, less victims and fewer crimes.
“In that, we have to have the courage to follow the evidence and engage with victims and communities about what will work, at the end of the day, to make them safer.”
Mr Kerr pushed for the Government to consult victims on any changes that were to be made to the justice system as a result of the report.
“I want to assure Mr Kerr that I spend much of my time engaging with victims and victim support organisations on an ongoing basis,” the Justice Secretary responded.
“It’s also important to note that the commissioners engaged with victims as well.
“What I know from my engagement with victims is that at the very core of a victim’s concern is that they do not want the experience that they had, the crime committed against them to happen to anyone else.
“That means for justice to be served, yes, it’s about prevention, yes it’s about punishment and deterrence, but it’s also about rehabilitation and re-integration, bearing in mind that the majority of people who are incarcerated will one day return to their community.”