The Scottish prison population rose rapidly in 2024, and numbers remain high as we move into 2025.
In response to this, the Scottish Government passed an Emergency Bill in November 2024, which means some Short-Term Prisoners will be released at the 40% point of their sentence instead of at the 50% point.
This new law is designed to reduce the number of people in custody from the extremely high levels we have seen recently. It will therefore benefit everyone living or working in Scotland’s prisons.
To keep families up-to-date on the latest information on Early Release, we have produced a Q&A document below.
The document is also available in an easy read format for those who require it.