Liberal Democrats want to see the shortest prison sentences, those of six months and under, replaced with tougher community sentences.

Commenting after the Justice Secretary’s remarks advocating tougher community sentences, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Robert Brown MSP said:

“Liberal Democrats believe that very short term prison sentences should be replaced with tougher community sentences that make offenders work to repay their communities.

“A recent report has found that community sentences are not always available as an alternative to prison when judges need them. We cannot expect judges to hand down community sentences to convicted criminals if there’s a waiting list of several weeks. The SNP Government must ensure that there are adequate resources available for community sentences to be an option for judges.

“I also wish that Labour and Tory politicians would stop playing politics with public safety. When every single scrap of evidence says that short prison sentences just don’t work to continue to pretend to the public that these short sentences make us safer is downright dishonest.”