Reflections on the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission: Decarceration and Changing Scottish Justice for the Next Gene

Reflections on the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission: Decarceration and Changing Scottish Justice for the Next Generation

Summary:

The independent Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission ran for a year from February 2025 and published their final report, Justice That Works, in February 2026. They held meetings and visits the length and breadth of the nation, including listening to lived experience and practitioners across different contexts, as well as roundtables with victim support organisations. The Commission's recommendations spanned from early intervention and diversion, to seeking to reduce use of remand in custody, to sentencing and courts, through to prisons, community justice, and strategic leadership of Scottish Justice for the future. The ambition of working towards a prison population that is on par with other European nations - meaning a few thousand fewer people in Scotland's prisons - was set out in the report, alongside multi-faceted strategies for how to make progress towards that. Since then, the Commission's recommendations for change have been discussed by Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government. In this CYCJ webinar, a few former Commissioners will offer reflections on key recommendations which are: (1) of particular relevance to young people and those working with them, and (2) focused on decarceration and long-term strategies to shift towards communities.

Speakers:

Lynsey Smith has worked in Justice Social Work for over two decades, and has made significant contributions and held leadership roles in this area during this time, including being a member of the Social Work Scotland Justice Standing Committee for 10 years. Her work and leadership within the context of the Glasgow justice social work team included specialist justice services such as MAPPA, liaising with Barlinnie Prison, and problem-solving court initiatives in Glasgow Sheriff Court such as the Youth Court, Drug Court, and Women's Court. Currently, Lynsey is the Assistant Chief Officer Operations and Governance in Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). She was one of the Commissioners in the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission.

Catherine Dyer is the Chair of Community Justice Scotland. Across her significant legal career, she was the first woman to be appointed as Crown Agent for Scotland acting as Chief Executive of the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). Following her retirement from COPFS in 2016, Scottish Ministers appointed her as Independent Chair of a Review of Child Protection Systems and announced acceptance of all the recommendations of her Report in March 2017. Catherine is currently a co-opted non–executive member of Redress Scotland. She was one of the Commissioners in the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission.

David Mackie is a retired Sheriff who was appointed to the Bench in 2001. For 15 years until his retirement from the Bench in 2019, he sat as the resident Sheriff in Alloa Sheriff Court. Through his work as a Sheriff and with charities supporting disadvantaged and marginalised young people, he developed a belief in the power of redemption and applied compassion and understanding of both the victims and perpetrators of crime to his personal judicial practice. Recently, David chaired the Hearings System Working Group for The Promise Scotland. He was one of the Commissioners in the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission.

Dr Hannah Graham is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Stirling. As a criminologist, Hannah's research interests include justice and penal policy, probation and community justice, comparative criminal justice research, and rehabilitation and desistance from crime. From 2019-2024, Hannah was appointed by Scottish Ministers to serve a five year term as a member of the Scottish Sentencing Council, an independent advisory body (completely separate from the Commission). In 2026, Hannah is a part of HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) Inspection and Monitoring Standards Revision Steering Group. She was one of the Commissioners in the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission.

Relevant links:

Commission's final report : Justice That Works

Targeted audience:

Practitioners, policy makers and academics and postgrad students.

Important Info:

This webinar will be not be recorded however slides will be shared with registered attendees after the webinar. Cameras and mics will be switched off to all attendees, only the speakers and organisers of the event will have their cameras on. If you have any questions throughout the webinar you will be able to add them into the chat and the speakers will try to answer as many as possible at the end.

All registered attendees will be contacted with team's link 24 hours before each session. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact cycj@strath.ac.uk.

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