Minister wants to work ‘at pace’ on reforms to victim notification scheme

The Scottish Government wants to work “at pace” to reform the victim notification scheme (VNS), MSPs have been told, but the changes will not be in place when earlier release laws come in during 2025.

Siobhian Brown, the minister for victims and community safety, confirmed to Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee that changes being brought in would not be in time for February – when offenders sentenced to four years or less in prison will start to be freed after completing two fifths of their sentence.

Holyrood recently passed emergency legislation to make that change in response to safety concerns linked to the rising number of inmates in Scotland’s jails.

Ms Brown meanwhile told MSPs on Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee that she is “keen to make progress” on reforming the VNS.

It allows for victims of crime to be notified when the person who carried out the offence is being freed from jail – with some also being given input into decisions about whether or not they should be released.

There are just over 3,000 people signed up to the main scheme, where offenders are sentenced to 18 months or more in prison.

Changes are being made after an independent review made 22 recommendations to ministers, with the Scottish Government bringing forward amendments to the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill – which is already going through Holyrood – to allow for the changes to be made.

Ms Brown said: “Obviously we want to do this at pace, this is why we are putting these amendments and using this Bill to try to get things in place within this parliamentary term.”

However she told the committee that the changes “are not going to be in place by the second emergency release”.

The minister told MSPs that the reforms are “about ensuring the system works well for victims”, explaining a new victim contact team would be set up with “specialist, skilled” staff who would contact victims of crime after offenders have been sentenced.

Ms Brown explained: “Eligible victims would automatically be referred to the victim contact team within a set deadline.

“The victim contact team would contact victims personally at a suitable time after sentencing, offering a conversation by phone.

“The contact team members should explain the system, what the sentence means, offer choices about how the victim might like to be communicated with.”

She added: “Victims will ideally have a named contact in the victim contact team, and one phone number to call and one email address.”

Lucy Smith, from the victims and witnesses unit at the Scottish Government, said amendments that would set up the victim contact team were still “in development”.

But she said at the moment there is a “disparity” in the information victims receive, adding that the government would like to “provide parity where that is possible”.

Adding that an estimated 25% of victims are currently registered with the VNS, she said: “We anticipate that with VNS reform there would be an uptake in registration. Part of this would come from automatic referral of eligible victims to the victim contact team where there would then be that personalised conversation and people would register.”

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