A SENIOR councillor has branded a new law to lower the minimum term served by prisoners on short sentences as 'grossly unfair on victims'.

Councillor David Wilson has condemned new Holyrood legislation which will see most Scottish prisoners with sentences of four years or fewer released after serving 40 per cent of their sentences, rather than the previous 50 per cent threshold. 

Prisoners serving sentences for domestic abuse or sexual offences are exempt from the new rules.

Councillor Wilson, who is chair of Inverclyde Council's police and fire scrutiny panel, has claimed the proposal sends out the wrong message to criminals.

The Conservative councillor said: "This is grossly unfair on the victims. This move means that a miscreant who is given an 18-month sentence for his or her crimes will be out in seven months.

(Image: Inverclyde Council) "This is an insult to the victims and the cops who have worked long and hard to gain the evidence to convict.

"That is not justice as far as police are concerned as they work very hard to get convictions. It must be quite demotivating to see somebody who was sentenced to 18 months serve only seven months.

"It sends out the wrong message to criminals, as chair of the Police and Fire Scrutiny Panel, we receive statistics every six weeks on police activity and I know how hard these police officers work to obtain a conviction.

"The best way to protect society is by sending people to jail.

"I believe in rehabilitation, but the shorter the sentence, the less chance of access to education."

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The move has been prompted by overcrowding in Scotland's prisons and Councillor Wilson says the SNP are to blame for not using money to maintain and improve prisons.

Councillor Wilson said: "Over the past decade the SNP have been given plenty of money to finance the affairs of state but have either spent it unwisely, carelessly or on vote winning freebies.

(Image: Lorraine Tinney) "The Auditor General has warned that 'the Scottish government needs to change its approach to public spending and public service delivery models to be financially sustainable'.

"The Ferry saga - the fault of rushed government and unfathomable and complicated combustion specifications, not the yard or its workers - has caused a multi hundred million pound overspend, a third of which would have built the needed prison estate."

The ward one councillor added: "We should have had a new prison in Greenock long ago, it had been proposed to use the Greenock High School site.

"Older prisons due to disrepair have cells that can no longer be used, whereas all cells are used in modern prisons."

Councillor Wilson told the Telegraph that the move to lower the minimum term was 'not justice'.

He said: "I am on the side of the victims and the cops.

"Whether it is shoplifting or housebreaking, there is no such thing as a victimless crime.

"The SNP's soft touch on crime puts ordinary folk at risk."

The changes mean that between 260 and 390 inmates are now expected to be eligible for immediate release in February 2025. 

When asked for a comment, the Scottish Government directed the Telegraph to a previous statement issued by Justice Secretary Angela Constance when the bill was passed.

She said: “We have experienced a significant rise in our prison population in recent times. 

"This means that without intervention, there is a risk that prisons will no longer be safe places for the dedicated staff to carry out the important work of rehabilitation to reduce reoffending.

"That is why this bill is backed by both the Prison Officers’ Association and the Prison Governors Association.

“The measures in this bill will bring about a sustained reduction in the prison population as well as relieve some of the acute pressure currently being experienced within our prison estate.

"We need the prison system to focus on those who pose the greatest risk to the public and provide a range of support to help reduce reoffending and integration back into the community.

“I am very aware that victims and their families will have concerns and we will continue to work closely with victim support organisations throughout the process.”