ABSTRACT
The incarceration rate in Scotland has increased dramatically since the 1990s and is now one of the highest in Western Europe (World Prison Brief 2009). In 2008 150 persons were imprisoned per 100,000 of the population; similar to the rate of 152 in England and Wales. These rates compare with 96 in France, 92 in Italy, 89 in Germany and 67 in Finland. While other countries, notably the USA, the Russian Federation, China and several in Eastern Europe, have far higher incarceration rates, they have very different histories and cultures. Nonetheless, even though international comparisons are not straightforward (Pease 1994) and the rate of imprisonment varies greatly between jurisdictions and over time (Cavadino and Dignan 2005; Christie 1994; Rutherford 1984), Scotland’s rate relative to countries with similar social and demographic characteristics is undoubtedly high; more than double the rates in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. This high rate of incarceration exists despite decreasing crime rates (SCCCJ 2010) and the availability in Scotland of one of the widest ranges of ‘alternative’ communitybased sentences anywhere in the world.
