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Media
“Centre aims to cut number of women in jail: A rehabilitation centre has opened in Glasgow designed to stem the growing tide of female offenders sent to prison for petty crime.
The 218 Time Out Centre, in the city centre, will offer residential accommodation and offenders will be referred to the unit by sheriffs, police, fiscals or social workers, as an alternative to custodial sentences. . .” Scotsman
“Where bleak lives are given a ray of hope: Listening to the women in the lunch club at the UK’s first criminal justice-led alternative to prison for female offenders, is exhausting. There are eight women and three members of staff in the room. Six of them are talking incessantly. No-one seems to be listening. Almost all the women are chain-smoking. . .” Herald
“Promising prison alternative: 218 ? the alternative” reads like a newly-licensed radio station vying for customers on the crowded airwaves. It does have a client base but it consists of woman offenders who are taking part in an initiative to test alternatives to prison. The facility, the first of its kind in Britain, is in Glasgow and hopes to provide accommodation for 135 women in a residential unit, as well as to help 400 who will visit daily. . .” Herald. Features.
“Scots centre to keep women out of jail” A unique centre that offers female offenders a ?tough? community-based alternative to prison was due to open in the heart of Glasgow today. . .” Times
Press release
“218 Time Out opens in Glasgow: 218 Time Out, a new centre in Glasgow designed to provide an effective community-based alternative to sending women to prison for short periods, was officially opened today. The first of its kind in the UK, it will receive referrals from the courts, procurators fiscal, social workers and the police. . . “ Scot. Exec.
Following posted on 29.1.04 at 8.57am.
“Women offered prison alternative: A new centre in Glasgow is set to offer an alternative to prison sentences for female offenders. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK to tackle the drug and alcohol problems which lead to crime. The initiative is part of the Scottish Executive’s efforts to reduce the number of women being sent to jail. . .” BBC
“Prison alternative for women to open” Scottish TV
See also
‘Time Out Centre’. Scottish Executive.
A Better Way: The Report of the Ministerial Group on Women’s Offending. 2002.
[url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/law/wosw-00.asp]Women Offenders: A Safer Way
A Review of Community Disposals and the Use of Custody for Women Offenders in Scotland.1998.[/url]
“McConnell warns that cannabis use remains illegal: First Minister Jack McConnell warned that the use and sale of cannabis remains illegal in Scotland despite being downgraded to the same status as anabolic steroids and anti-depressants. . .” Courier
“Cannabis campaigners queue to join Leith caf頣lub” Scottish TV
“Three arrested at cannabis caf馱uot; BBC
“Arrests as cannabis cafe opens” Scotsman
“Three arrested as cannabis cafe opens in capital” Herald
“Three arrests at cannabis cafe” Guardian
“The Purple Haze opens in fog of confusion” Telegraph
“The day the law changed… and it all went to pot” Evening News
“Cannabis campaigner vows: “We will stay open"” Evening News
“Three held as cannabis cafe opens” Evening Times
See also
Scottish Parliament. Questions to First Minister on policing cannabis. 29.1.04
Posted by MM on Fri 30th Jan 2004 at 2:40 pm
“Jail protest ‘more than nimbyism’: Objections to a new jail in West Lothian are more than just “nimbyism”, SNP Lothians MSP Fiona Hyslop has told the Scottish Parliament. . .” Evening News
Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): I am pleased to have secured this debate this evening. The topic raises considerable local concerns in my Lothians constituency but it also touches on national issues in the fields of justice and planning policy. I thank members from political parties throughout the chamber for signing the motion, which is clear in focusing on the public’s right to know whether or not proposed prison developments in their communities will or will not be run as private concerns . . .” Scottish Parliament debate. Private Prisons (Consultation). 29.1.04.
Update
“MSPs urged to back UK supreme court idea: Scotland’s Justice Minister said yesterday that a UK supreme court was ?long overdue?, giving a clear repudiation of the views of senior judges who have publicly condemned the plan. . .” Times
“Top law officer’s remarks attacked: Scotland’s top law officer was yesterday accused of talking “a load of utter rubbish” over his support for radical changes to the courts system. The Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd, QC, came under attack from the SNP justice spokesman, Nicola Sturgeon, during a Holyrood debate. . .” Scotsman
Following posted on 29.1.04 at 8.50am.
Media
“Supreme court plan ‘long overdue’: Plans for a new UK-wide supreme court are a “long overdue” move towards modernisation, according to Scotland’s Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson. Ms Jamieson said the government’s plans to replace the judicial role of the House of Lords with a supreme court would make the system more transparent. . .” BBC
Press Release
Support for UK Supreme Court proposal: Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson today urged Scotland’s Parliament to back plans for a modern Supreme Court [. . .] ‘The Court of Appeal in Edinburgh will continue to be the highest court for criminal appeals. Criminal law differs to a much greater extent between Scotland and England, and we see no arguments for this system to change. . .’” Scot. Exec.
See also
Constitutional Reform. Scottish Executive Response.
Scottish Parliament. Supreme Court debate. 29.1.04.
Posted by MM on Fri 30th Jan 2004 at 2:27 pm
“Cannabis reclassified: The controversial downgrading of Cannabis takes effect from today. Despite anger from anti-drugs campaigners and health professionals, the drug is being reclassified from a Class B, to a Class C. But the government are stressing that cannabis remains illegal, while police forces in Scotland are promising they will continue to arrest users. . .” Scottish TV
“Police predict rise in cannabis dealing: An official police document forwarded to all the Scottish forces warns that today’s declassification of cannabis is likely to lead to a significant increase in drug dealing. In line with plans by David Blunkett, the home secretary, to declassify cannabis from a class B to class C drug, officers from the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) have produced a report warning of the predicted effects and how to deal with them. . .” Herald
“Leak caused Labour to get cold feet: The cabinet first agreed to relax the penalties for cannabis possession more than 30 years ago, but the then home secretary, Jim Callaghan, took fright after a leak to the Guardian and overruled his colleagues, according to recently released official papers. . .” Guardian
“Cannabis not risk free, says adviser: The government adviser who recommended today’s downgrading of cannabis in the hierarchy of dangerous illegal drugs has repeated his warning that it is still harmful to health. . .” Guardian
“Cops warn Scots on cannabis” Evening Times
“Police fear rise in drug-dealing over cannabis move” Evening News
Press release
“Cannabis is still a controlled drug and, as such, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it remains illegal to possess it. The changes in classification have not decriminalised cannabis. The Scottish Police Federation remains opposed to the decriminalisation of cannabis . . .” Scottish Police Federation
See also
National Criminal Intelligence Service No link to report at time of posting.
Home Office Circular 05 / 2004.
“Crackdown drives dealers off estate: Drug dealers are being driven off the streets of a Capital estate, police claimed today. New figures reveal the number of charges brought against suspected drug dealers in Craigmillar has fallen 31 per cent year-on-year [. . .] The Scottish Executive is now to look at how the success against the drug menace in Craigmillar could be repeated nationwide. . .” Evening News
Posted by MM on Thu 29th Jan 2004 at 9:00 pm“Legal talks in move to ban weapon sales: Talks are to be held to make sure there are no loopholes in new laws to ban the sale of knives and replica guns in Glasgow. City council bosses want to stop second hand dealers and market traders from selling the deadly weapons. . .” Evening Times
Posted by MM on Thu 29th Jan 2004 at 8:38 pmFollowing posted on 28.1.04 at 4.17pm.
The latest World Prison Population List was published today by the Home Office.
It shows that apart from the former states of the USSR and the Eastern bloc, England and Wales has the highest rate of imprisonment in Europe at 141 per 100,000 and that Scotland is fourth, after Spain and Portugal, with a rate of 129 per 100,000.
Northern European states of comparable populations to Scotland have a much lower rate of incarceration. For example, Finland’s rate is 70; Denmark, 64; Norway, 59.
The USA has the highest rate in the world at 701, followed by Russia (606).
World Prison Population List (fifth edition).
Posted by MM on Thu 29th Jan 2004 at 2:59 pm“Lawman with mission to modernise: [. . .] When the 1400-year-old position of lord chancellor was scrapped and a supreme court was announced in the government’s most radical shake-up of the legal system, critics welcomed the first chink of light in a musty world of wigs and gowns. . .” Herald
Posted by MM on Thu 29th Jan 2004 at 2:51 pm“Anti-homophobia campaign calls on victims to speak up: Victims of homophobic crimes have been urged to report attacks to police, following the launch of a high-profile campaign. [. . .] Strathclyde Police are rolling out the project, Don?t Accept Homophobia, following a successful pilot in Glasgow last year. . .” Scotsman 29.1.04.
“Police target homophobic crimes: Victims of homophobic crimes are being encouraged to come forward in a new initiative by Strathclyde Police. The force has launched a poster and website campaign urging people to report verbal abuse, harassment and violent attacks. Information will be taken by trained individuals who will then pass on the details to the police [. . .] Strathclyde Police is rolling out the project, Don’t Accept Homophobia, following a successful pilot in Glasgow last year. . .” BBC
“Police target homophobic crime: Strathclyde Police is targetting homophobic crimes, with the launch of a scheme to encourage witnesses to come forward. . .” Scottish TV
“Victims of gay crime urged to speak out: Victims of homophobic crime were today encouraged to report it through the internet and specially trained counsellors. . .” Evening Times
See also
“Third Party Reporting: Strathclyde Police’s Third Party Reporting Scheme has been established in order to promote the reporting of homophobic crimes and incidents. And the message of the scheme is clear: don?t accept homophobia. . .” Strathclyde Police
Posted by MM on Wed 28th Jan 2004 at 10:00 pm