Justice Secretary
Humza Yousaf

The Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2017-18 bulletin shows the use of custodial sentences under three months has fallen over the last decade, while the proportion of people given a community sentence has risen from 14 per cent in 2008/09 to 20 per cent for the last two years.

The number of custodial sentences given in court fell by six per cent in 2017/18 (from 12,705 in 2016/17 to 11,973). This is the lowest level since 2008/09.

The proportion of sentences under three months in length fell by one percentage point in 2017/18 to 27 per cent, down from 41 per cent in 2008-09, although most of this change occurred before 2011-12; the proportion has remained broadly unchanged since.

In 2017/18, the average custodial sentence length, excluding life sentences, was over 10-and-a-half months. This is marginally longer than in 2016/17, and 21 per cent longer than in 2008-09 (eight-and-a-half months).

Commenting on the new figures, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Short custodial sentences are not effective and Scotland must go further to increase the use of robust, community-based sentencing. We know that murderers and others given life sentences are serving longer in custody and these latest figures show an increase in average prison sentences for a range of the most serious crimes including rape, attempted rape and homicide.

“We can support our hard-working prison officers by ensuring prison is focused on those people convicted of the most serious crimes and who pose the highest risk to public safety. This will help them to support rehabilitation to reduce the likelihood of reoffending and keep our communities safe.”