Prison gates continue to be revolving doors for offenders in the West of Scotland.

That’s the unfortunate conclusion to be drawn from new statistics showing those convicted of a criminal offence in Ayrshire are likelier to reoffend than those anywhere else in Scotland.

Nearly one in three people convicted of a criminal offence in the area go on to re-offend within a year of being released from prison or being handed a non-custodial sentence. 

The figure of 32.3 per cent is more than five per cent higher than for Scotland as a whole.

Some prisoners are so damaged and brutalised, and commit such appalling crimes, that little can be done which would enable them to live in the community. But for many, the reality is unsurprisingly more complex.

Ayrshire has long had some of the most deprived communities in the country and those who reoffend are disproportionately drawn from these communities.

Almost all research we have indicates recurrent underlying factors when it comes to those who reoffend.

Offenders’ lives are often chaotic, having faced childhood trauma, schooling issues, family issues, drug use, mental health issues, accommodation or employment problems. 

There’s no route to reducing these figures which doesn’t address these issues.

Effective rehabilitation options include resources which support individuals to re-adjust into society, for example education, training for employment and the possibility of gainful employment, behavioural therapy, involvement in drug or alcohol treatment programmes, or restorative community work.

But whilst the Scottish Government talks a good game, the distribution of such resources is inconsistent.

Ministers have concluded there must be a reduction in short custodial sentences, which can be long enough to disrupt employment, medical care, housing and family relationships, but not to tackle the underlying causes of offending behaviour.

But there therefore must be more focus on developing alternatives to custody and modernising our electronic monitoring system, which is outdated compared to high-tech GPS tags being used in other parts of the UK. Community safety has to be paramount. 
Instead, there seems to be a state of panic.

We know prisons are dangerously overcrowded and, in the case of Greenock and Barlinnie, over a century old and no longer fit for purpose.

Rather than address these issues at source, the Scottish Government has in recent weeks chosen to release prisoners en masse without sufficient preparation or victim notification.

Charities described the emergency scheme as “shambolic”, with prisoner release services “overwhelmed”.

When I asked the justice secretary how many victims of the 514 inmates released were to be informed as part of the notification scheme, her answer was 12. That’s shameful and shows our victim notification system isn’t fit for purpose. 

Such schemes need to be carried out with great care, with victims properly informed but also to reduce reoffending.

What’s needed are modern prisons, robust alternatives to custody, upgraded monitoring systems, serious investment in rehabilitation and the justice for victims within our justice system. 

That’s what Scottish Labour is fighting for.