Effectiveness of prisons in Scotland

• Prisons as effective punishment

  • Provide protection by locking away dangerous offenders
  • Provide punishment by depriving offenders of their freedom
  • Provide rehabilitation opportunities
• There are approximately 8,000 people in prison in Scotland
• Prisons as ineffective punishment

  • Overcrowding leads to less resources and rehabilitation opportunities
  • High cost to taxpayer of around £35,000 per prisoner per year
  • High reoffending rates
• In 2017-18 26.3 percent of offenders were reconvicted within one year of the end of their previous sentence
• To send someone to prison for a year, it costs the taxpayer £35,000 per prisoner whereas it costs only £2,000 for an electronic tag