Kate Nevens, a Scottish Green election candidate standing on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list, wants to abolish prisons in Scotland. She described herself as a prison abolitionist in a video posted on Instagram. Nevens said the ultimate goal of the Greens is to not have the prison system as it is right now. She said the party wants to massively reduce the number of people being sent to jail while focusing on community justice. Nevens pointed to electronic tagging and unpaid or low-paid work as alternatives to custody. She called for work to tackle the root causes of crime, citing trauma and inequality.
A Green spokesperson said jails should be used as a last resort but stopped short of calling for their abolition. The spokesperson said the party wants to end mass incarceration and punishment, instead focusing on crime prevention and supporting victims. The spokesperson said prison sentences result in high reoffending rates, which does little to keep the public safe in the long term. The spokesperson said their starting point is an assumption against custodial sentences for non-violent crimes. The spokesperson said all forms of detention should be used as a last resort, mainly for violent crimes, to protect people and society where there is no alternative.
This would let murderers and rapists to walk our streets free of consequences for their heinous crimes. That is not progressive, it is monumentally stupid.
Political rivals have accused Kate Nevens of promoting absolutely bonkers and monumentally stupid views on justice reform. Scottish Labour's Pauline McNeill described the Green candidate's comments as ludicrous and reckless.
This debate occurs as Scotland's prison population reached a record high last month. The Scottish government introduced an early release programme to reduce overcrowding. Hundreds of inmates serving sentences of less than four years have been let out early since November. The early release scheme does not apply to those convicted of domestic abuse or sexual offences.