A report by a committee of MSPs said that a campaign was needed to tackle misinformation about migrants, and to highlight the economic and social benefits that they brought to Scotland.
Source: Inquiry into Migration and Trafficking, 5th Report 2010, SP Paper 543, Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release | Amnesty press release | SRC press release
Date: 2010-Dec
A literature review drew on data from administrative sources and from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey to construct a picture of what was known about youth violence in Scotland.
Source: Alistair Fraser, Michele Burman and Susan Batchelor with Susan McVie, Youth Violence in Scotland: Literature Review, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
A new book examined key areas of criminal justice policy-making in Scotland, in particular the extent to which criminal justice in Scotland was increasingly divergent from other United Kingdom jurisdictions.
Source: Hazel Croall, Gerry Mooney and Mary Munro (eds.), Criminal Justice in Scotland, Willan Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2010-Nov
The Scottish Government published its response to an official review (published in October 2009) of the Scottish civil courts system. It agreed that there were too many aspects of the civil courts that were 'unsatisfactory, unaffordable or inefficient'.
Source: Scottish Government Response to the Report and Recommendations of the Scottish Civil Courts Review, Scottish Government
Links: Response | Review report | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2010-Nov
Researchers examined the experience for offenders in Scotland of doing a short sentence, in prison or the community. For many people short prison sentences had became a regular life activity, and the constant coming and going between community and prison interrupted the ability to deal with drug and alcohol issues, strengthen family relationships, and became employable.
Source: Sarah Armstrong and Beth Weaver, User Views of Punishment: The comparative experience of short term prison sentences and community-based punishments, Research Report 4, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
Links: Report | Summary | Glasgow University press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Nov
The Supreme Court ruled that the practice by the police in Scotland of interviewing suspected criminals without having their lawyer present was a breach of their human rights. The Scottish Government said that it would change the law as quickly as possible in order to comply with the ruling.
Source: Cadder v Her Majesty's Advocate (Scotland), UKSC 43 (2010), United Kingdom Supreme Court
Links: Text of judgement | Scottish Government press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Oct
Two linked reports examined gang membership and knife-carrying among young people in Scotland. A blanket 'one size fits all' policy on gangs and knife-carrying was largely ineffective: targeted intervention strategies should be deployed instead.
Source: Jon Bannister et al., Troublesome Youth Groups, Gangs and Knife Carrying in Scotland, Scottish Government | Susan McVie, Gang Membership and Knife Carrying: Findings from The Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, Scottish Government
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Summary (2) | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2010-Sep
An article examined whether political devolution in Scotland had led to positive gender outcomes, focusing on the case of domestic violence policy. Domestic violence provided a 'striking case' where devolution had made a difference to the substantive representation of women, with positive – albeit fragile – outcomes.
Source: Fiona Mackay, 'Gendering constitutional change and policy outcomes: substantive representation and domestic violence policy in Scotland', Policy & Politics, Volume 38 Number 3 Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Jul
The Scottish Parliament approved the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. A Scottish Sentencing Council would be established to ensure greater transparency and consistency in the sentencing process. There would be a presumption against short sentences of three months or less in order to end the 'revolving door' of reoffending.
Source: Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government/Stationery Office | Scottish Parliament Debate 30 June 2010, columns 27815-27995, Official Report/TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Official Report | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2010-Jun
An article drew on findings from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime to challenge the evidence base that policy-makers used to justify the evolving models of youth justice across the United Kingdom (both in Scotland and England/Wales). It said that the Scottish system should be better placed than most other western systems to deliver justice for children (due to its founding commitment to decriminalization and destigmatization): but it appeared to be failing many young people.
Source: Lesley McAra and Susan McVie, 'Youth crime and justice: key messages from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 10 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-May
A study found that alcohol misuse in Scotland was costing taxpayers between £2.4 billion and £4.6 billion each year.
Source: York Health Economics Consortium, The Societal Cost of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland for 2007, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Summary | Scottish Government press release | SNP press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Jan
