Scottish Conservatives Propose Overseas Prisons to End Overcrowding

0:00On April 6, Scottish Conservatives are dropping a bold plan to ship prisoners overseas and fix Scotland's prison overcrowding crisis. Their manifesto, coming out tomorrow, calls for renting cells and foreign jails with extra space, so no more early releases for inmates. It's all about keeping sentences full and easing the pressure on local lockups. The idea copies a deal between Sweden and Estonia, where Sweden rents 400 cells in Tartu for up to 600 prisoners over 5 years. Cosper inmate there runs about 8,500 euros, or roughly 7,420 pounds, not counting transport. Tori say this beats the SinP's quick fixes. SNP leaders have already let out 415 prisoners and emergency waves this year, with 200 more coming by month's end. They also cut early release from 40% of sentences to 30%, hitting short term offenders except for domestic abuse or sex. Crimes dropping the population by 239 to 312.

1:02Tori leader Russell Finley blasted as reckless, risking public safety and mocking judges. Justice spokesman Liam Kerr calls it, soft justice insulting victims. Esni fires back, labeling the foreign jails scheme bizarre and costly, with no real price tag or funding plan amid Tori tax cuts. Meanwhile, the manifesto adds housing perks, like scrapping land and buildings transaction tax on primary homes to help first time buyers, plus easing. Net zero red tape for builders, as votes heat up on May 7th, this could shake up Scotland's justice and home scenes for good.