Scotland

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been disruptive and halting in its impact on Scottish justice. This chapter offers an overview of how the pandemic has affected Scottish prisons and how authorities and decision-makers have responded. In giving an emerging account, we bear witness to the experiences of people in prison and their families, alongside the voices and decisions of people in positions of power. Long-standing issues and inequalities in Scottish justice have been exacerbated in the pressured circumstances of the pandemic. Proposals that had previously been discussed for years, with little or no action, have been progressed as compensatory measures in weeks or months, for compelling reasons. However, other more intractable problems have remained or become more severe. The pandemic provides an opportunity to, and a reason for, a profound penal reconsideration. However, at the time of writing, we are yet to see evidence whether this will materialise in practice, though it could still be too early to tell. [This is a pre-print copy of the chapter].