Moves to scrap sentences of less than a year in an attempt to reduce Scotland’s prison population will founder because creaking social work departments will be overrun, experts have claimed.
Humza Yousaf, the justice secretary, has confirmed plans to extend the presumption against short prison sentences from three months to 12, which, if approved, will come into force in the summer.
In the year to 2017, 10,000 offenders were jailed for a year or less, including two for murder, 99 for attempted murder or serious assault and 35 for sexual assaults.
Cyrus Tata, from the University of Strathclyde, said the radical overhaul would be stymied by ill-resourced welfare services. People who are homeless, battling mental illness or addiction are more likely to be receiving shorter