Green candidate backs abolition of Scotland's prisons

A Scottish Green election candidate is facing criticism after revealing she wants to abolish prisons.

Kate Nevens - who is standing on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list - says she is "keen to live in a Scotland" with no jails.

Political rivals have accused her of promoting "absolutely bonkers" and "monumentally stupid" views on justice reform.

A Green spokesperson said jails should be used as a last resort - but stopped short of calling for their abolition.

They added that the party wants to end "mass incarceration and punishment", instead focusing on crime prevention and supporting victims.

Prisons 'poor for wellbeing'

Nevens, a charity worker, is her party's second pick on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list.

As a result she has a good chance of being elected to Holyrood next month if the Greens perform well.

In a video posted on Instagram, she described herself as a prison "abolitionist" who wants "to see the complete abolition" of the prison system in Scotland.

Nevens said: "Prisons are not safe, they're violent, they're poor for people's health and wellbeing, particularly if you're a woman. And they fail to support rehabilitation.

"So actually they do not make those of us who are not breaking the law safer either."

The candidate said the "ultimate goal" of the Greens was to "not have the prisons system as it is right now".

In the meantime, Nevens said the party wanted to "massively" reduce the number of people being sent to jail while focusing on "community justice", pointing to electronic tagging and un-paid or low-paid work as alternatives to custody.

She called for work to tackle the the "root causes" of crime - citing trauma and inequality.

Doubling down on her views in a later post, Nevens said she was "still keen to live in a Scotland with no prisons".

Hundreds of inmates serving sentences of less than four years have been let out early since November in an attempt to reduce overcrowding.

The scheme does not apply to those convicted of domestic abuse or sexual offences.

A Green spokesperson said: "The evidence shows prison sentences result in high reoffending rates, which does little to keep the public safe in the long term.

"That's why our starting point is an assumption against custodial sentences for non-violent crimes.

"All forms of detention should be used as a last resort - mainly for violent crimes - and done to protect people and society where there is no alternative."

Scottish Labour's Pauline McNeill described the Green candidate's comments as ludicrous and reckless.

She said: "This would let murderers and rapists to walk our streets free of consequences for their heinous crimes.

"That is not progressive, it is monumentally stupid."

The SNP's Angus Robertson said the abolition call was "absolutely bonkers".

Scottish Conservative candidate Sue Webber said the justice proposal was "insane and irresponsible".

"It beggars belief that someone who fervently believes that murderers and rapists shouldn't be locked up is high up the Greens' Lothian list and likely to become an MSP."

Reform's Thomas Kerr said that "an end to prisons is not liberal or progressive but instead dangerous extremist ideology".

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have been asked to comment.