Parliament Workbench
Data: Motions & questions to 19 Nov 2026 · Votes to 12 Nov 2026

Motion For Debate · S7M-00469 · Session 7

Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population

Carried Lodged by Neil Gray SNP Lodged 23 Jun 2026 Debate 25 Jun 2026 1 supporter

The motion

That the Parliament recognises the scale and complexity of the current prison population, which is above the design and operational capacity of the estate and causes significant associated operational and safety risks for prison staff; notes that Scotland has one of the highest prison populations in western Europe; acknowledges the underlying drivers, including the growing number of individuals convicted of serious violent and sexual offences who receive longer sentences, reflecting progress in how the justice system supports victims and holds offenders to account; notes that the cost per prisoner per year to the public purse is £52,000; recognises the importance of effective rehabilitation to reduce re-offending and to benefit the communities that individuals return to; agrees that public safety is paramount and that it is vital that victims are supported and have confidence in the justice system, and agrees, therefore, that a balanced package of measures to increase capacity in the prison estate, expand effective community sentencing, and enact preventative measures to stop people entering or re-entering the prison system, are necessary to achieve a sustainable prison population now and in the future.

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The SNP’s motion was changed by amendments from Labour (S7M-00469.2) and the Liberal Democrats (S7M-00469.4) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for the motion as amended, not as lodged.

That the Parliament recognises the scale and complexity of the current prison population, which is above the design and operational capacity of the estate and causes significant associated operational and safety risks for prison staff; notes that Scotland has one of the highest prison populations in western Europe; acknowledges the underlying drivers, including the growing number of individuals convicted of serious violent and sexual offences who receive longer sentences, reflecting progress in how the justice system supports victims and holds offenders to account; notes that the cost per prisoner per year to the public purse is £52,000; recognises the importance of effective rehabilitation to reduce re-offending and to benefit the communities that individuals return to; agrees that public safety is paramount and that it is vital that victims are supported and have confidence in the justice system, and agrees, therefore, that a balanced package of measures to increase capacity in the prison estate, expand effective community sentencing, and enact preventative measures to stop people entering or re-entering the prison system, are necessary to achieve a sustainable prison population now and in the future.S7M-00469.2 Labour ; is concerned that the current prison population crisis is chronically hampering effective rehabilitation; calls on the Scottish Government to increase its investment in GPS technology and speed up its roll out, and notes that the current approach to rehabilitation, community justice and early release is failing to address the prison population crisis.S7M-00469.4 Liberal Democrat ; further notes the persistently high remand population and the contribution that court delays and wider pressures within the justice system have on overcrowding in the prison estate; believes that public protection, rehabilitation, alternatives to custody and a reduction in reoffending must be pursued together rather than in competition with one another; further believes that investment in addiction treatment, mental health services, supported housing and effective community justice are essential to reducing offending and easing the pressure on prisons, and calls on the Scottish Government to publish a long-term strategy for achieving a sustainable prison population that commands public confidence and adequately supports victims and their rights to information, protection and safety.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

  1. S7M-00469.2 Labour Pauline McNeill Agreed vote, 65–53
  2. S7M-00469.1 Reform UK Amanda Bland Defeated vote, 26–94
  3. S7M-00469.3 Green Maggie Chapman Defeated vote, 16–104
  4. S7M-00469.5 Conservative Stephen Kerr Defeated vote, 26–78
  5. S7M-00469.4 Liberal Democrat Yi-pei Chou Turvey Agreed without a vote, per the Official Report

Signatures by party

1 MSP besides the lodger · 0 from other parties
SNP 1

Party on the day each MSP signed. Signing a motion is voluntary and not whipped. Who signs whose motions

Vote

1 division
  1. 25 Jun 2026
    Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population
    S7M-00469as amended by Labour + Liberal Democrat
    Carried
    89 for, 31 against

Amendments

5
  1. S7M-00469.1
    Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population
    Amanda Bland Reform Lodged 24 Jun 2026
    Defeated
    26 for, 94 against
  2. S7M-00469.2
    Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population
    Pauline McNeill Lab Lodged 24 Jun 2026
    Carried
    65 for, 53 against
  3. S7M-00469.3
    Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population
    Maggie Chapman Green Lodged 24 Jun 2026
    Defeated
    16 for, 104 against
  4. S7M-00469.4
    Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population
    Yi-pei Chou Turvey LD Lodged 24 Jun 2026
    No recorded vote
  5. S7M-00469.5
    Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population
    Stephen Kerr Con Lodged 24 Jun 2026
    Defeated
    26 for, 78 against

Supporters

1 MSP

SNP 1

Show all 1 supporter by party

SNP 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

In the Official Report

4 contributions mention S7M-00469
  1. 25 Jun 2026
    Prison Population
    Katy Clark Lab Meeting of the Parliament

    The next item of business is a debate on motion S7M-00469, in the name of Neil Gray, on achieving a sustainable prison population. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak button now.14:32

  2. 25 Jun 2026
    Decision Time
    Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

    The next item of business is decision time. There are eight questions to be put as a result of today’s business. I remind members that, if the amendment in the name of Amanda Bland is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Stephen Kerr wi…

  3. 25 Jun 2026
    Decision Time
    Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

    Well done.The next question is, that motion S7M-00469, in the name of Neil Gray, on achieving a sustainable prison population, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.

  4. 25 Jun 2026
    Decision Time
    Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

    The result of the division on motion S7M-00469, in the name of Neil Gray, on achieving a sustainable prison population, as amended, is: For 89, Against 31, Abstentions 0.Motion, as amended, agreed to,That the Parliament recognises the scal…