Scottish prison population at record levels
New figures published today show that the Scottish prison population stands at a record high.
The average daily population rose by two per cent between 2002 and 2003 to stand at 6524. Though far below England’s prison population Scotland’s, in terms of percentage of its population, is creeping up.
Scotland sends 129 people to jail for every 100,000 of its population, compared to 137 in England and Wales. That rate varies widely across the world with the USA’s proportion standing at 702, compared to Denmark’s 65.
An area of noticeable increase in Scotland is the number of women being sent to prison, this was up by seven per cent to a daily average of 297, the highest level ever recorded.
Imprisonments for fine defaults fell by one per cent for women and five per cent for men, though fine defaulters continue to make up a large number of those sentenced to jail, with 6758 people imprisoned in 2002. The average jail term for fine defaulters though remained stable at 11 days.
