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The Paradox Of Scottish Life Imprisonment By Katrina Morrison

1193 Words5 Pages

Dirk van Zyl Smit and Katrina Morrison; authors of The Paradox of Scottish Life Imprisonment. They go into detail about Scotland being recognized for the high rate of life in prison. To understand the statement by looking at what life imprisonment is and compare it to other countries. Further evaluating details, the focus is on sentencing release policies and practices. The subject focus is murder and understanding the length of imprisonment. Focus on the practices and policies in place for life imprisonment and if it’s practical. The question they ask is how to reduce an astronomical amount of life imprisonment.

The authors go into more detail about life imprisonment in Scotland. Once a criminal is convicted, they have the power to imprison …show more content…

The first aspect to look at is sentencing and understanding why the numbers are so high. There is information about Scotland having an increase in life sentences over the past ten years, but a decrease in homicide rates. Next, mandatory sentencing for murder makes up most of the prison population, but Scotland’s homicide rates declined. A legal requirement stating a life sentence must be started for any murder conviction. Looking at other countries in Europe, Scotland is the only one that has a mandatory life in …show more content…

Being released from prison, there is a point when a parole board can take freedom away. Many individuals control prisoners’ release, parole boards decide if they are at low enough risk to reenter society. Some prisoners must complete a program for release, but rehabilitation programs are so far behind, causing prisoners to never be eligible for release. Of the inmates that qualify for release, only 12% have been considered. Looking at the OLRs; only two prisoners in the last 17 years released on parole. The release conditions require no criminal offenses, good behavior, or notification of contact with officers. When released from prison in Scotland, the individual never receives full freedom for the rest of their life. The first recall is influenced by these factors; first, it is influenced by the conditions, such as a risk assessment plan and conditions set by a parole officer. The second factor is the judgment used by officers reporting a suspected violation to the parole board. The third reason for the recall is the decisions of the parole board when an individual breaks the contract. Recall needs to only be used for emergencies, there needs to be concrete evidence for reentry into

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