CONCERN HAS been expressed by an organisation that supports victims of crime that prisoners are being released early from sentences handed down by the courts.

Victim Support Scotland said the early release scheme heightened public anxiety and “does not help the victims of crime in any way.”

The organisation believes it does not help the public perception of the sentencing policy being the right one where someone is released early—particularly if they then go on to re-offend.

It comes after the early release of a civil servant who carried out a cocaine-crazed knife attack on police officers in Dundee after only four months in jail.

Civil servant Martin Wood was let out after serving only a third of his year-long sentence.

Rank-and-file officers said it was time for the judiciary to review early release policies, particularly for assaults on emergency service personnel.

“Our position is that we believe that sentences are imposed by the courts having considered all the relevant facts and that the public must have confidence that the sentence matches the crime,” said a spokesman for Victim Support Scotland.

“The Scottish Executive has been looking at this issue obviously realising there is a major debate to be had on should a sentence actually mean what is says.

“That is certainly under review and we support that review.

“It would be a concern to us as it would to any member of the public if there were to be any system which detracted from the sentence imposed by the courts.”

Earlier this year there was a similar public outcry when a prolific housebreaker from Dundee re-offended just two months after leaving jail early.

Steven Stewart, who was placed on a home supervision order that involves tagging and a curfew, had only served a quarter of his 20-month sentence.

Dundee’s new MSP has pledged the SNP will be reassessing the Executive’s sentencing policy.

Joe FitzPatrick condemned the decision to free Martin Wood after only four months in jail.

“I’m 100% behind the police,” said Mr FitzPatrick.

Earlier this week he said the SNP would now be looking to address “a lack of consistency” in the sentencing process.

Yesterday he said he shared public concerns over seemingly light or inconsistent sentences.

“In Scotland we have an inconsistency where sentences differ depending on the judge,” he said.

“Judges are often pressurised into handing down a lenient sentence because our prisons are full to bursting point.

“I believe a lot of people in prisons are there for the wrong reasons like failing to pay a fine when a community-based alternative would have been more suitable.

“They are taking up places that should be filled by dangerous individuals,” the MSP added.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said he was unable to discuss individual prisoners.

He added, “Short-term prisoners, that is those serving less than four years, can, having satisfied the necessary risk assessments, be released on a home detention curfew.

“The criteria is applied consistently and fairly across all prisoners who are deemed as eligible or suitable.”

The prison and probation service have input into the risk assessment and sometimes doctors, social services and victims can also be involved, but it is the prison’s governor who decides whether to grant a prisoner early release.