Prisoner perks: 'Scotland's prisons are not working'

THE issue of offering rewards or incentives to prisoners during their time in jail is always going to be a thorny one.

The very idea of offenders enjoying an Easter party and painting eggs with their children at Saughton Prison will understandably raise hackles.

Some victims of crime, especially, will ask where the punishment is when prisoners can behave just like the rest of us who have not committed serious offences.

It is a reasonable question, particularly at a time when colour TVs and PlayStations in cells mean prisons are increasingly seen as a "soft touch".

But we risk missing the point if we don't consider the other side of the argument.

Put simply, Scotland's prisons are not working.

Those who come out appear more – and not less – likely to commit crimes.

The fact 60 per cent are convicted of another offence within two years of their release makes us one of the worst countries in Europe for rehabilitating inmates.

• Was it right to let prisoners enjoy an Easter party with their children behind bars? Vote here

Serving a prison sentence should be a punishment, but it should also offer a chance to get back on the straight and narrow.

Prisoners who stay in touch with their families – and almost half don't – have been shown generally to lead more productive lives after their release.

That is not to say it is appropriate for every prisoner to attend a fun session with their children.

But surely there is a place for some sensible family activities within prisons, especially for offenders approaching the end of their sentence.

There is a balance to be struck and if we can get it right we all stand to gain.

Fitting memorial

THE erection of a plaque commemorating the sacrifice made by fallen fireman Ewan Williamson is to be welcomed.

With the plaque outside the Tollcross fire station where he served, Ewan's colleagues will have a daily reminder of the pal they lost in a pub blaze last summer.

Not that they need such a reminder. But the plaque will also be there for years to come, and for future generations to see, sitting proudly next to the memorial to those fire staff who died in wartime service.

Ewan was a genuine hero in a world which has few people who really deserve to be called such. Our campaign for even wider recognition for him, in the form of a posthumous Queen's Gallantry Medal, goes on.