Electronic tagging assessment tool for prisoners ‘will not be rushed’

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has told MSPs he does not know when a new risk assessment tool to help determine if prisoners should be released on electronic tags will be ready.

Mr Yousaf said while work was under way to develop it there was no timescale for when the tool would be completed, adding it was more important it “should be done right as opposed to rushed''.

The risk assessment tool is being brought in in the wake of the murder of father-of-three Craig McClelland from Paisley.

He was stabbed to death in July 2017 by James Wright, who was “unlawfully at large'' while on home detention curfew (HDC).

These have been used in Scotland since 2006 and enable prisoners to serve part of their sentence in the community while being monitored via an electronic tag.

In the wake of the outcry over Mr McClelland's death, with a presumption against the use of HDC being brought in for violent offenders and some other criminals, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) told MSPs the number of prisoners freed on these terms had dropped from 25 to 30 a week to just seven.

Mr Yousaf told MSPs on Holyrood's Justice Commmittee: “My understanding is that 75% reduction is not necessarily all down to the presumption, my belief is there is an element there of risk aversion.''

He added: “We absolutely live in a world where organisations be they private or public, when there is a lot of media scrutiny on them there is almost a natural instinct to be risk adverse.''

The Scottish Government's intention is still to increase the use of electronic monitoring, Mr Yousaf confirmed, as he said work was currently being done with the SPS and others to “develop a risk assessment tool for short term prisoners''.

He told MSPs: “They are working on that now and my direction now to all the partners involved has been that it should be done right as opposed to rushed so I haven't pushed them on a timescale.''

The Justice Secretary stressed “protecting the public is right at the top in terms of the key assessments that have to be made''.

Mr Yousaf was pressed on the matter as the committee considered the Scottish Government's Management of Offenders (Scotland) Bill - which includes plans for a single set of rules for the use of electronic monitoring across the justice system.

Asked if the assessment tool would be done before Holyrood has completed considering the legislation, the Justice Secretary said: “I don't have a timescale that I can tell you definitely, but my direction has been to get it right as opposed to get it rushed.''

He said he would “see if we can try to aim for before Stage three'', when the Bill has its final hearing in the Parliament".