THE Scottish government should extend its presumption against short sentences to two years in a bid to cut prison populations, according to a new report today.

Scottish Justice Secretary Angela Constance formed the Scottish Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission last year to look at ways to cut the record prison population after being forced to launch three early release schemes to relieve overcrowding.

That commission has now recommended present guidance, which discourages judges from handing down custodial sentences of under a year, be extended to 24 months, a move it argues will not only relieve pressure on prisons but boost rehabilitation efforts.

Calling this a “critical moment” for the justice system, Martyn Evans, commission chair and former chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “Prison should be for serious and dangerous offenders, not for people who need help, support or simply a second chance.

“We need to choose a different path – one that uses imprisonment more wisely, reduces reoffending and strengthens community responses.

“By transforming our justice system, we can create a fairer and more effective society for all of us.”

Welcoming the report, Ms Constance said: “There is no silver bullet, but these considered recommendations can help us achieve a sustainable prison population.

“We remain an outlier in prison numbers. While prison will always be necessary, we need to shift the balance to community justice, which is shown to reduce reoffending and be more cost-effective for the public purse.

“I will consider the detail of the report and set out my in-principle response to the report in a statement to Parliament next week.”

Labour’s justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill responded: “Sentencing should be about how we keep communities safe – not how we clean up the SNP’s mess.”