The committee is also calling for changes to the post-conviction landscape in Scotland.

The committee has announced plans to host a multi-agency meeting with the Scottish government, Community Justice Scotland, the judiciary, police and the third sector to explore how these ambitions around alternatives to prison can be met.

It is also calling on the Scottish government to set out budget proposals outlining how it plans to deliver a move away from putting people in prisons towards alternatives to custody, as well as preventative spending to avoid people re-offending or committing crimes in the first place.

Scotland has one of the highest per-capita prison populations in Europe, though a presumption against sentences of less than 12 months was passed by MSPs in June 2019.

The prison population has also risen significantly in the last 12-18 months, with home detention curfews (HDCs) used less frequently, due to what one committee witness described as “error terror” on behalf of those taking decisions on whether the grant an HDC.

Speaking as the report was launched, committee convener Margaret Mitchell MSP said: “In its pre-budget scrutiny the Justice Committee decided to concentrate on spending in Scottish prisons.

“Whilst it was evident, from the the visits undertaken to HMPs Barlinnie and Kilmarnock, that there is no silver bullet to solving the problems our prisons face, resources and policy do both play decisive roles.

“With our prisons worryingly over recommended capacity and high levels of remand prisoners, it is not possible to build our way out of the problem.

“The committee is therefore clear that a wider conversation about plans to increase the use of alternatives to custody and preventative spend must be held in order to move forward and in an effort to properly address this issue.

“To ensure that the Justice Committee’s recommendations in its cross-party report are at the heart of that debate, Members will convene a meeting to discuss what is necessary to ensure effective alternatives can be provided, and crucially how they might enjoy judicial and public confidence.

“Given the challenging conditions in our prisons, which include an ageing prisoner population, an outdated prison estate and the prevalence of psychoactive substances, the committee fully recognises and praises the outstanding efforts and skill of Scottish Prison Service staff in managing inmates in these circumstances.”