Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons

Citation

Spencer A, Campbell S, Coghill DR, Findlater D, Hall R, McKay D, Martin J, Power KG & Sweeney R (2002) Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons ['The Spencer Report']. Edinburgh: Scottish Prison Service. www.sps.gov.uk/Publications/Publication182.aspx.

Abstract
The Scottish Executive published a Consultation document on the Future of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) Estate1 on 21 March 2001 as part of a consultation exercise. Contained within a discussion on HMP Peterhead at pages 34-36, (and also similarly in the SPS Estates Review document2) was the following: Proposal: HMP Peterhead HMP Peterhead has a long history and in recent years has delivered excellent work with sex offenders. It is however not well located to carry this work on and the buildings are at the end of their useful life. The prison should close and the work be transferred to prison(s) elsewhere in central Scotland without loss of effectiveness. ... On 18th April, Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister & Minister for Justice stated in the Parliamentary Debate on the Estates Review Consultation: "I can announce today that Richard Simpson and I have instructed the Director of Rehabilitation and Care, Alec Spencer, to conduct an additional review of the future management of sex offenders" (Col. 10941). In concluding the Debate, Dr Richard Simpson, Deputy Minister for Justice stated: "I confirm what my colleague Jim Wallace said at the start of the debate. He and I have instructed the SPS - specifically, Alec Spencer, who set up the programme at Peterhead prison and is now the Director of Rehabilitation and Care - to examine the future of sex offenders in the Prison Service with the assistance of outside advice. The review will not be just internal; it will be external. If there is a decision at the end of the consultation period to move to a central prison, we will carefully consider how that will be done with the least disruption." (Col. 10995). The task of the group has not been to recommend on whether Peterhead should close or not. Rather, we have been asked to provide advice on whether it is possible to move the STOP programme, what disruption might ensue as a consequence, whether that presents a danger (or an increased danger) to the public, how throughcare would be affected and, how we see the future of the provision of interventions to address the offending behaviour of sex offenders being developed within SPS.