Jamie Hepburn, SNP MSP for Central Scotland, has welcomed the vote in the Scottish Parliament which will bring the new Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act into law.

The new law introduces a presumption against jail sentences of less than three months, with low-level offenders sent out to address their offending behaviour and repay their debt to the community through tough manual labour under a new 'Community Payback Order'.    The new law also creates a series of new offences to deal with serious and organised crime, taking the fight to those involved in crime in Scotland's communities. 

This contrasts starkly with opposition approaches, which would have allowed criminals to continue spending minimal time in jail.

Commenting, Jamie Hepburn MSP said:

"Communities across Central Scotland will be safer and stronger as a result of this major legislation from the SNP Scottish Government.

"Anyone committing a serious offence can expect to go to jail for at least three months.  Labour MSPs want people in and out of prison in jig-time, costing society more and doing nothing to stop re-offending.  This new legislation means that if you do the crime, you’ll do the time.

“We don’t want a revolving door on Scotland’s prisons.  People who deserve punishment should be locked up for periods that properly reflect the severity of their offences.

“Recorded crime is at its lowest level for nearly thirty years.  We have an all-time record number of policy officers on Scotland's streets - over 1,000 extra since March 2007.  As a result of this new legislation, law enforcement agencies will have even more powers at their disposal to take the fight to criminals, tackle crime and make Scotland a safer place for all.”