Funding for criminal justice in Holyrood spotlight

Ahead of making recommendations to the Scottish government on how it spends money on justice services, the committee is looking to hear opinions on funding for bodies such as prisons, courts, police, fire and rescue, victim support and community justice initiatives.

It will also consider whether funding is in place to support the sector to recover from Covid, and whether any of the changes brought in to help cope with the pandemic may lead to longer term savings, if those were desirable and made permanent.

Speaking as the call for views was launched, Criminal Justice Committee convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP, said: “Criminal Justice services play a crucial role in keeping Scotland safe, supporting complainers and victims of crime, working to rehabilitate offenders, and diverting people who are at risk of doing wrong.

“Our committee wants to take a wide look at the funding for these services – public and voluntary – and examine whether what we have in place supports the justice system to do what we ask of it.

Ms Nicoll continued: “It goes without saying that we will need to consider the impact of Covid-19 on the justice sector’s budgets.

“We asked a great deal of those working on the frontline and administering justice throughout the pandemic.

“And while there may be savings from some of the new ways of working, overall, the sector will need a lot of help to recover from the pandemic – for instance, to deal with the huge backlog of trials.”