Motion
Independent Review of Sentencing and Penal Policy
S6M-16532.2 · Amendment · lodged by McNeill, Pauline
Lodged on
19 Feb 2025Heard / answered on
20 Feb 2025Watch the chamber session on SPTV · lands on the meetings recorded on 20 Feb 2025
As an amendment to motion S6M-16532 in the name of Angela Constance (Independent Review of Sentencing and Penal Policy), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "acknowledges that prisons remain severely overcrowded, with prisons operating above capacity even after the Scottish National Party (SNP) administration’s emergency early release of prisoners, impacting on the ability to rehabilitate offenders; is concerned by the high numbers of women in prisons; condemns the SNP administration’s failure to tackle high reoffending rates, which result in offenders returning to custody due to the lack of robust alternatives; agrees that the third sector can play a significant role in the effective delivery of justice services that reduce reoffending, and support reintegration into society; calls on the Scottish Government to urgently increase the availability of robust community payback orders, and invest in safe and secure GPS electronic monitoring to drive down the remand population and give more public confidence to non-custodial sentencing; further calls on the Scottish Government to expand access to throughcare services, which are essential in assisting offenders to reintegrate into society and to stop offending; believes that a review of sentencing and penal policy will not address the urgent crisis in Scotland’s justice system, and resolves that the SNP administration should take immediate action based on parameters set by the Parliament to address these concerns, rather than focus on a review that will not take the prompt action needed to fix the justice system and keep Scotland’s communities safe."
Lodged by
McNeill, Pauline
alone — no additional MSPs have signed on.
Amendment division result
20 Feb 2025
Defeated
Show MSPs
For
16Against
97Abstain
0Not voted
16In the Official Report
Debated in chamber — 4 contributions reference this
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The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Chamber
· 20 Feb 2025 · Meeting of the Parliament 20 February 2025
I remind members who wish to speak in the debate to check that they have pressed their request-to-speak buttons. I call Pauline McNeill to speak to and move amendment S6M-16532.2. 15:31
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Pauline McNeill
Lab
Chamber
· 20 Feb 2025 · Meeting of the Parliament 20 February 2025
I absolutely do welcome it, but the two points are not mutually exclusive. I would like it to be visible, but of course I welcome the commitment. What I have been demonstrating is that a lot of the a…
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The Presiding Officer
NPA
Chamber
· 20 Feb 2025 · Meeting of the Parliament 20 February 2025
The next question is, that amendment S6M-16532.2, in the name of Pauline McNeill, which seeks to amend motion S6M-16532, in the name of Angela Constance, on an independent review of sentencing and pe…
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The Presiding Officer
NPA
Chamber
· 20 Feb 2025 · Meeting of the Parliament 20 February 2025
The result of the division on amendment S6M-16532.2, in the name of Pauline McNeill, is: For 16, Against 97, Abstentions 0. Amendment disagreed to.
Amendments and how the chamber decided
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S6M-16532Original motion18 Feb 2025 · Motion For Debate · Constance, AngelaThat the Parliament notes that Scotland has one of the highest proportions of prisoners in Western Europe; recognises the action that has been taken to establish a sustainable prison population and shift the balance between the use of custody and justice in the community, while protecting the public from harm; acknowledges the need for an independent revi...
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S6M-16532.2Selected itemDefeated 16/9719 Feb 2025 · Amendment · McNeill, PaulineAs an amendment to motion S6M-16532 in the name of Angela Constance (Independent Review of Sentencing and Penal Policy), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "acknowledges that prisons remain severely overcrowded, with prisons operating above capacity even after the Scottish National Party (SNP) administration’s emergency early release of p...