Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland: 2023-24 – Part 1

8 Statutory/voluntary throughcare

( Tables 1, 9 & 10 )

Key statistics for 2023-24:

• There were 1,100 statutory custody-based throughcare cases commenced in 2023-24, the highest in the last ten years.
• There were 870 statutory community-based throughcare cases commenced in 2023-24, the 2^nd lowest in the last ten years.
• Ninety-eight per cent of statutory custody-based throughcare and 97 per cent of community-based throughcare cases commenced were for males in 2023-24.
• There were 1,900 voluntary throughcare cases in 2023-24, the 5^th lowest in the last ten years.
• Eighty-three per cent of voluntary throughcare cases commenced were for males in 2023-24.

Justice social work are required to provide a throughcare service to all those who are subject to statutory supervision on release from prison. This includes people serving sentences of four years or more (or six months or more for sexual offences) as well as those subject to an extended sentence or supervised release order. Throughcare begins at the start of the sentence and is implemented through the Scottish Prison Service’s Integrated Case Management process. Voluntary throughcare services are also available to those who are not subject to supervision on release from prison. These services may be requested while in custody or up to a year after release, and last for up to 12 months after they have been requested.

Commencements for statutory throughcare in custody generally fluctuated around 1,000 in the years 2014-15 to 2019-20. Numbers fell at the start of the pandemic in 2020-21 to 630 cases but have risen in each of the following three years, reaching 1,100 in 2023-24.

Thirty-five per cent of cases in 2023-24 involved determinate sentences of four years or more. Supervised release orders accounted for a further 26 per cent.

The number of commencements for statutory throughcare cases in the community was generally around 1,000 up to 2018-19. In each of the years since then, numbers have been slightly lower and there were 870 cases in 2023-24. Twenty-eight per cent of all cases commenced in 2023-24 related to supervised release orders. Non-parole and short-term sex offenders accounted for a further 18 and 17 per cent respectively.

The statutory custody-based throughcare caseload was 3,900 individuals on 31 March 2024. This was nine per cent higher than in 2022-23 and the highest in the last ten years.

The statutory community-based throughcare caseload was 1,900 individuals on 31 March 2024. This was slightly higher than in the previous two years but the 3^rd lowest in the last ten years.

On 31 March 2024, 68 per cent of the caseload was custody-based and 32 per cent was community-based. This differed from the position in March 2015 when 57 per cent was custody and 43 per cent community.

The number of completions of statutory throughcare cases in the community has ranged from 830 to 1,120 over the last ten years. The total of 890 in 2023-24 was the 3^rd lowest over this period.

The number of voluntary throughcare cases in 2023-24 was 1,900. This was similar to the level in 2022-23 and still slightly lower than in the years before the pandemic. Seventeen per cent of the cases commenced in 2023-24 were for females.