Quarter of Scots prison population still awaiting trial

More than a quarter of Scotland's prison population consists of people being held on remand, new figures show.

Scottish government data shows the number of people awaiting trial has nearly doubled since April 2020.

The Scottish Prison Service described the impact of this as "significant".

The Scottish government said a new Bail and Release from Custody Bill, being considered by MSPs, would refocus how custody can be used within the criminal justice system.

Analysis by justice and social affairs magazine 1919, which is funded by the Scottish Police Federation, found 2,164 inmates were on remand at the beginning of August .

This includes 303 who were convicted but still awaiting sentence, meaning the total remand population was 29%.

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur said: "Far too many of those locked up are people who haven't been convicted.

"The SNP needs to tackle lengthy court delays which are preventing people from having their cases heard and preventing victims from seeing justice done."

Remand rates have increased sharply since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Statistics show the remand population was 1,114 in April 2020 but grew to more than 2,000 by September 2020.

According to latest figures, 33% of those currently on remand have been waiting for longer than 140 days.

Prisoners on remand must be accommodated separately from those serving time following a conviction.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: "While it is not for us to determine who should be remanded to custody, the impact on our establishments is significant.

"We are managing an increasingly complex prison population. Certain demographics are unable to be located in certain establishments, or even in the same area within an establishment.

"The challenge we face on remand is also exacerbated by the court backlog, where it is routinely in excess of 140 days. This means they are frequently given backdated sentences, and released very soon after, which limits our window for intervention and to address issues that need to be dealt with on release."

In June, the Scottish government introduced a new Bill that it hopes "will refocus the way remand is used" and, if passed, will see an an emphasis on remand being reserved for those who pose a risk to public safety or who wilfully fail to turn up for their trials.

A government spokeswoman said: "We remain committed to taking action to address use of remand.

"The Scottish government has invested an additional £3.2m this year towards strengthening alternatives to remand, including further expansion of bail supervision.

"We have also legislated to introduce electronic monitoring of bail, a significant change, which started in May. This funding builds on the ongoing funding of £1.5m for bail support for women and £550,000 towards bail supervision."