The SNP’s plan to abolish jail sentences of less than 12 months has been attacked after it emerged £5 million worth of fines are unpaid.
If the Scottish Government’s “soft touch” proposals are implemented, thousands more offenders would be handed alternative sentences like fines and community sentences.
However, new research by the Scottish Conservatives has revealed there is currently £5 million in fines which are now outstanding, with “little prospect” of them being repaid.
Shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said it proved criminals already treat alternative punishments with contempt, something that would only worsen if sentences of less than a year were scrapped.
The official statistics revealed that £5.2 million of fines issued in the last three years are in arrears, which accounts for 15.9 per cent of all monetary penalties handed out.
That includes £2 million issued in 2014/15.
Earlier this year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed in her Programme for Government that introducing a presumption against sentences of 12 months or less would be one of her top priorities.
This would include people sentenced for domestic abuse, drugs offences and certain sexual assaults.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said:
“These figures show a large number of criminals already don’t take alternative punishments like fines seriously.
“The £5 million deficit isn’t just money lost to the taxpayer, it’s a slap in the face to victims of crime too.
“The fact is, once a criminal has dodged paying for this long, there’s very little prospect of them ever coughing up.
“Now the soft-touch SNP wants to get rid of jail sentences of 12 months or less, this problem will get even worse.
“It means thousands more criminals – including those guilty of domestic abuse – will now receive fines and community sentences.
“And considering so many don’t seem to think they have to pay up, this shortfall will only get worse once the madness of this new SNP policy starts to bite.
“Yet again, the SNP has pursued an ideological policy without any proper thought or investigation.”