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PRISON VISITING COMMITTEES REVIEW: MINISTER FOR JUSTICE RESPONSE
Background
The Report on the Review of Prison Visiting Committees is being published today - 29 March 2007. The report makes a number of recommendations relating to the role and remit of Prison Visiting Committees, funding issues and appointment and training of members.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson welcomed the report and thanked the Review Group for its work in producing a comprehensive report.
The recommendations accepted by the Executive include:
- General role and remit: recommendations 1, 2, 4, 9, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 31
- Appointments: recommendations 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 21, 30 and 35
- Training: recommendations 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24
- Funding: 32, 33, 34
Implementation will be taken forward in a phased approach and in conjunction with the Association of Visiting Committees, the Scottish Prison Service and CoSLA. Some recommendations (6, 7, 8, 11, 16, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37 and 38), while accepted in principle, may require amendment or clarification following the outcome of Professor Lorne Crerar's Independent Review of Regulation Audit, Inspection and Complaints Handling of Public Services in Scotland.
Ministerial Response
In her response, the Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"I welcome the report and want to thank the Group for its review of the role of Prison Visiting Committees.
Prison Visiting Committees have been with us in one form or another for over a century and in that time they have fulfilled a valuable role in ensuring prisoners are kept in humane conditions and in providing both information about, and insight of, life inside a prison to the communities that they serve. I am grateful to those who take on this role for their continuing dedication to an area of work which is perhaps too often overlooked.
I agree with the conclusions of the Report that Prison Visiting Committees should continue to take a community perspective into our prisons and, also in line with that report, that this role should be further developed to provide a link back out to the community. Important changes are underway which are helping to reconnect our criminal justice system to communities and the Prison Visiting Committees are well placed to contribute to these changes.
The advent of Community Justice Authorities creates the opportunity to improve and build upon the links which the Prison Visiting Committees' have formed with their own communities. We want therefore to work with Prison Visiting Committees, CoSLA and the Scottish Prison Service to develop this new role.
At the same time, we know that the landscape within which Prison Visiting Committees operate has changed. The past century has witnessed major advances in the services we provide for prisoners. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons undertakes regular inspections of all prison establishments, highlighting those areas which are below the standards we expect. Prisoners can make specific complaints as part of the internal prison complaints process and ultimately to the Scottish Prison Complaints Commissioner. It is important to ensure that these different forms of complaints handling and external scrutiny complement each other rather than duplicating the same processes.
Indeed, the Executive has asked Professor Lorne Crerar to undertake an independent and wider review of the full range of regulation, audit, inspection and complaints handling of Scottish public services to ensure that the current arrangements are fit for 21st Century Scotland. This will encompass the complaint and inspection arrangements in relation to the Scottish Prison Service and we want to take account of Professor Crerar's report when developing the future role for Prison Visiting Committees.
In the meantime, important recommendations in relation to training and recruitment can be implemented as soon as possible in order to modernise current practices. This will lay the ground work for the further changes which we want to take forward with Prison Visiting Committees, CoSLA and the Scottish Prison Service in the longer term."
Details of recommendations
Immediate changes for 2007 - accepted
- Recommendations 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30, 33 and 35
Changes in operational matters for next year - accepted
- Recommendations 12, 25, 26, 27 and 29
Longer term reform of role and remit - accepted in principal but dependant on outcome of Crerar review
- Recommendations 6, 7, 8, 11, 16, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37 and 38
Not accepted
- Recommendations 3, 14, 15, 17, 18, 28, 39