More than one in 10 early release prisoners back in jail

More than one in 10 of the prisoners let out of Scotland's jails early in a bid to ease overcrowding were back in prison before their original release date, new data has shown.

A total of 477 prisoners were part of an early release scheme in June and July due to concerns about the rapidly increasing prison population.

But 57 of them were back behind bars within weeks - including 12 who were out for 10 days or less.

Of those convicted or suspected of committing fresh offences, 20 were for non-sexual crimes of violence while 17 were for crimes of dishonesty.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said that while the early release programme provided "much needed respite", the prisoner population had "risen sharply".

The target capacity of the prison estate is 8,007, but there are currently 8,319 prisoners in the system.

And Scottish government modelling has warned that the country's prison population could rise above 9,000 in the coming months.

New projections indicate that by January the figure could range from 7,750 to 9,250.

Only prisoners with 180 days or less to serve from a sentence of under four years were considered for early release.

No-one convicted of sexual or domestic abuse offences has been released early.

The Scottish government previously said the move was in response to rising prison populations - up 13% since last year.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said that similar action was being taken by the UK government in England and Wales.

Temporary measure

The SPS said the scheme "prioritised the safety and wellbeing" of those in its care, victims and the its serves.

A spokesperson said: "We have been open and transparent throughout, publishing the number of individuals released at each stage, followed by a series of breakdowns.

"The latest publication on returns to custody continues this approach."

They added that it was always designed to be a temporary measure.

The spokesperson said: "In recent months, our population has risen sharply once more, and remains extremely complex.

"This continues to have a significant impact on our staff and the time available to them to do the important work in supporting people, building relationships, turning lives around, reducing the risk of reoffending, and creating a safer Scotland for all."

New Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay condemned the decision to "recklessly open the prison gates".

He added: "This mass reoffending comes after it emerged that the vast majority of victims were not even told about early release and represents yet another example of SNP soft-touch justice."