Dozens of criminals returned to jail for reoffending just weeks after early prison release
Dozens of inmates released to tackle overcrowding are already back behind bars
PA
Nearly 60 criminals let out early in Scotland under an emergency release programme have already reoffended and have been jailed again.
Some 477 inmates were released over the summer to tackle overcrowding - but 57 have committed crimes again and are back behind bars, with Scottish First Minister John Swinney admitting the scheme had not "solved the situation".
The decision was made amid a surge in prison population numbers, which Scottish Justice Secretary Angela Constance said had left the country's jails at "critical risk".
Those let out had been so under stringent terms - only inmates serving sub-four-year sentences who had 180 or fewer days left to serve were considered for release.
Scottish Justice Secretary Angela Constance said a spike in the prison population had left the country's jails at "critical risk"
PA
Inmates on life sentences, or locked up for sexual, domestic abuse or terror-based offences, had been automatically excluded from the scheme - and prison governors were able to veto the release of any offenders deemed an "immediate risk" to specific individuals or groups.
But of the freshly freed inmates, the "offence groupings" for which people were returned to custody included:- Non-sexual crimes of violence: 20
- Crimes of dishonesty: 17
- Damage and reckless behaviour: Fewer than five
- Crimes against society: Eight
- Antisocial offences: Eight
- Miscellaneous offences: Fewer than five
- Other - not classified: Fewer than five
MORE ON BRITAIN'S PRISON SHAME:
In September, Swinney had told the Scottish Parliament the country "still faced a serious situation"
PAIn September, Swinney had told the Scottish Parliament: "We still face a serious situation, and I fully expect the justice secretary to have to come back to Parliament to brief Parliament about the current situation.
"Because although the release of 477 prisoners during June and July as part of the early release scheme has helped, it has not solved the situation.
"I suspect that will come back to Parliament in due course and we are considering the options that are available there."
A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokesman said: "We have been open and transparent throughout, publishing the number of individuals released at each stage, followed by a series of breakdowns.
A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokesman defended its open approach to publishing the figures
PA"The latest publication on returns to custody continues this approach."
This development comes after England and Wales underwent a similarly damning revelation: 37 people were let out of prison by mistake under Labour's own controversial early release scheme south of the border.
A Ministry of Justice source said the criminals were released erroneously on September 10 because their offences had been recorded incorrectly under now-repealed legislation.
As a result, the cases had not been flagged for exemptions meant to stop criminals guilty of certain offences from being released.