Kate Nevens
Scottish Green Party · Scotland
“We should be building a justice system that is focused on harm prevention, safety and accountability rather than on punishment. For me, that still means a system in which people who pose a violent threat to communities are removed for our safety, but that system can and should look very different from our current, broken prison system.”
Scottish Parliament25 June 2026Source ↗
“It is a problem that is further exacerbated by the huge issue of overcrowding, which, as the cabinet secretary mentioned, makes it difficult for prisons to engage everyone in activities that help with rehabilitation, such as exercise, education, employment and training. We urgently need to rethink our approach.”
Scottish Parliament25 June 2026Source ↗
“Stephen Kerr: I am grateful to Kate Nevens for giving way on that point. Fairly or unfairly, a view has been attributed to her about the future of prisons.”
Scottish Parliament25 June 2026Source ↗
“Almost half of people arriving to prisons in 2024-25 were from the 20 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland. According to the Prison Reform Trust, 70 per cent of women prisoners in Scotland report that they have been a victim of domestic abuse or violence from their partner. I thank Carol Mochan for bringing up women in prison.”
Scottish Parliament25 June 2026Source ↗
“I am really grateful that we are having this discussion. Although we may all have slightly different approaches on exactly what needs to happen to address the problems with our current prison system— Mark Simpson: Will the member take an intervention? Kate Nevens: I will make some progress, but thank you.”
Scottish Parliament25 June 2026Source ↗
“If someone goes into prison experiencing housing insecurity, they are far more likely to become homeless again on their release, and they are likely to have lost the community support networks that they had before entering prison.”
Scottish Parliament25 June 2026Source ↗