MORE than 50 prisoners have "reoffended" and been returned to jail after being released early under the Scottish Government’s emergency release scheme, it has been revealed.
Regulations which had been laid at the Scottish Parliament in May confirmed 477 prisoners were eligible to be released in four waves from the end of June. Of the 477, 57 have been returned to prison after committing further offences.
Sky News reported the 57 inmates includes prisoners who have been charged and reconvicted, prisoners currently held for alleged crimes, and prisoners who have now been released after being remanded for an alleged offence.
Prisoners who are serving a life sentence and those on the Sex Offenders Register were not eligible and exclusions also applied to prisoners subject to non-harassment orders or who have an unspent conviction for domestic abuse.
The report comes after nearly 40 people were released from prison by mistake under the Labour Government’s emergency release scheme this month.
A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokesperson said: "We have been open and transparent throughout, publishing the number of individuals released at each stage, followed by a series of breakdowns.
"The latest publication on returns to custody continues this approach."
Scotland’s Justice Secretary Angela Constance laid out the plans earlier this year, stating: “Emergency early release has become necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Scottish Prison Service staff and those in their care as a result of the rapid rise in the prison population, creating an unprecedented situation."
