Stirling criminologist appointed to justice review Commission

Dr Hannah Graham, a leading voice on penal policy and justice, is the only academic to be part of the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, announced yesterday by the Scottish Government.

hands in handcuffs
The Commission will conduct an independent review of sentencing and penal policy at a time of acute capacity issues in Scotland’s prisons.

Leading criminology expert Dr Hannah Graham has been appointed to a new Commission to review sentencing and penal policy in Scotland.

Dr Graham, a leading voice on penal policy and justice, is the only academic to be part of the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, announced yesterday by the Scottish Government.

Dr Graham joins six others who will conduct an independent review of sentencing and penal policy, at a time of acute capacity issues in Scotland’s prisons. The Commission will examine how imprisonment and community-based interventions are currently used in Scotland. It will be chaired by Martyn Evans, former Chair of the Scottish Police Authority.

Dr Graham, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Stirling, is a leading researcher and commentator on criminal justice. She is Associate Director of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, a former member of the Scottish Sentencing Council, and has contributed expert evidence to the Scottish Parliament and UK Parliament on penal policy and justice law reform. 

Dr Graham said: “The courage to change Scottish justice, and to build consensus around what forms that change could take, is imperative, and I welcome being part of this Commission. The Commission will listen to and learn from a range of voices and expertise to make the necessary recommendations to pursue meaningful change.” 

“There is a pressing need to move past years of overcrowding and difficult conditions in Scottish prisons, past talking about the same ingrained problems in our justice system, and shift focus towards pragmatic actions and developing more community-based solutions.”

Head and shoulders shot of woman in red top
Dr Hannah Graham
Senior Lecturer in Criminology
There is a pressing need to move past years of overcrowding and difficult conditions in Scottish prisons, past talking about the same ingrained problems in our justice system, and shift focus towards pragmatic actions and developing more community-based solutions.

The independent Commission will, as part of its work, engage with victims and others with experience of the justice system, and make detailed recommendations for improvements in how offending behaviour can be dealt with effectively and proportionately.

Initially focusing on community sentencing, bail and remand, and release from prison custody, the Commission will be able to consider other areas it deems necessary. A final report and recommendations are to be presented to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament before the end of the year.

Announcing the independent review, Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, said: “We need to reconsider the kind of justice system we want to have. I have said repeatedly that there needs to be a shift in the balance from custody to justice in the community. Do we truly believe as a country that the only solution is to build more and more prisons?”

She added: “I am grateful to Martyn Evans and the Commissioners, who will bring their considerable knowledge and experience to bear in taking on this vital task.

“Prison will always be necessary for those who pose the greatest risk of harm, and protecting victims and the public is my absolute priority. However, evidence shows that short prison sentences are often not the best way to reduce reoffending, with those released from short custodial sentences reconvicted nearly twice as often as those sentenced to a community payback order."