Scottish Government
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Tackling re-offending
Stopping the revolving door of re-offending is not just a job for government, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said today.
Sharing a platform with Cosla spokesman Harry McGuigan, Mr MacAskill said:
"Scottish Government and Cosla are completely committed to tackling the destructive cycle of reoffending which disrupts so many of our communities.
"We need faster, better delivery of community sentences so the offender makes the link between the damage they have caused and the payback to their community that's needed.
"Our proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill will deliver flexible new Community Payback Orders to tackle the causes of offending behaviour as well as responding to its effect. And we are already investing in partnership with local authorities to improve delivery on the ground.
"But this is not just a matter for criminal justice agencies. This is about partnership working with Cosla and ensuring the strategies to redress inequalities in income, health or access to services take into account the needs of offenders. Helping offenders play a positive role in their communities benefits them, their families and everyone around them."
Mr MacAskill and Harry McGuigan, Cosla's spokesman for Community Wellbeing and Safety were speaking at the "Reducing Reoffending - A Shared Duty for Service Providers" conference in Edinburgh today.
"Protecting Scotland's Communities - Fair, Fast and Flexible Justice - is the Scottish Government's response to the Scottish Prisons Commissions report published last year. It outlines how the government plans to take forward the issues of offender management including plans to improve the immediacy of community sentences and reducing the number of short prison sentences.
Related Information
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/16132605/0
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/public-safety/offender-management
