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A duty of care ? to prisoners or victims?

By John Hirst

A duty of care ? to prisoners or victims?

By David Wilson

Questions are being asked of Scotland's Prison Service after two major crimes were committed by inmates on home leave

"Moving prisoners to open conditions and then granting them home leave in the community is always fraught with challenges and difficulties, especially when prisons are overcrowded ? which encourages prison officials to move inappropriate prisoners to lower security establishments to create more space in local and training prisons, and when in one or two high profile cases the decision that they make proves catastrophic because the prisoner commits further crimes. When the wrong decision is taken, and the prisoner uses the privilege of open conditions to rape or murder, what is the responsibility of the state ? in the shape of HM Prison Service in England and Wales or the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) north of the border ? for having made that decision and thus contributing to further crimes having taken place in the community?".

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on September 01, 2008 (boomark / email).