Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland: 2021-22

8 Pre-release reports

(Table 1)

8.1 Part of statutory throughcare involves preparing reports to inform temporary release from prison on home leave and liberation on licence.

8.2 In 2021-22, 890 home leave reports were produced. This was a fall of five per cent on the previous year and the lowest number of reports in the last decade. A total of 2,400 reports for release from prison on parole/non-parole licence were recorded in 2021-22. Numbers have increased every year since 2012-13. Overall, pre-release reports from 2012-13 to 2016-17 were nearly 50:50 between home leave and parole/non-parole reports. This ratio has, however, changed in the last five years. The percentage of reports which were parole/non-parole increased to 73 per cent in 2021-22, with the remaining 27 per cent home leave reports.

8.3 From 2006, those serving a custodial sentence may also be released early under a home detention curfew scheme. From 2012-13 to 2017-18, there were at least 2,500 reports a year. This declined in 2018-19 to 1,900 with a sharp drop to 810 in 2019-20. This dropped further in 2021-22 and was at the lowest level in the last decade at 790.