📕New Book Takes the Temperature of Violence Reduction Units in Scotland & England.
Out Now! bit.ly/49NoaYI
🗣️@crmnlgy.bsky.social @timnewburn.bsky.social @susanmcvie.bsky.social @lbilli91.bsky.social Keir Irwin-Rogers & Fern Gillon
Delighted that this article I wrote with @saraheanderson.bsky.social has now been published. We argue that the Western criminal legal system's individualist and dichotomous lens means it is not an effective response to harm. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Brilliant new animations explaining the important work @nextchapterscotland.org.uk does and why it is needed 👍🏻
Today, the Scottish 'justice' system' is facing a number of challenges. One that a lot of people aren't aware of is our informal plea-bargaining system. Our new blog draws on the post office scandal to highlight the dangers of this murky world of grubby deals. erasmusresearch.com/the-hidden-c...
Wealth of the world’s 3,000 billionaires surged by $6.5tn (£4.8tn) in real terms over the past decade.
World's richest 1% gained $33.9tn in real terms.
Billionaires pay effective tax rate of 0.3% of their wealth.
Ultra-rich are major cause of poverty, pollution, corruption.
Need wealth tax now.
Moving #ketamine from class C to B in 2014 did not prevent rising use. So why would moving it up to class A be a solution? www.itv.com/news/2025-06...
Cracking piece by Ali Fraser @crmnlgy.bsky.social in @glasgowbell.bsky.social over the weekend on his new podcast Young Warriors where he learns about youth violence in Glasgow, and how projects like G20 are helping turn lives around.
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgow-yout...
#YoungWarriorsPodcast
So sad to hear this, I really admired Peter, his courage and his work 💔
🟡 No one should feel alone after justice system involvement. Our Listening Ear project offers regular friendly phone calls with trained volunteers. Just a space to be heard. 💛
👉 nextchapterscotland.org.uk/contact
#SupportNotStigma #ListeningEar
Heartbreaking
Major new report out today from SCCJR on the number of deaths in custody.
❗️Prison deaths in Scotland have surged to 64 in the last year.
bit.ly/deaths-in-cu...
Watch this short video to find out the key stats👇
A comics page in black and white. Arranged in 5 tiers of panels, each with successively smaller panels and more per row - with the exception of the first. Opens with no panel border - silhouette of a hand in a gun position - with smoke coming from index finger. speech balloon “i could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn’t lose any voters, ok?” Caption “this is perhaps the most truthful thing trump has ever said…” Same row - more than half page width panel with three drawings of trump making jerky body distortions mocking cerebral palsy. Caption “one might’ve assumed when he mocked reporter serge kovaleski that it would cross a line and be the end of him in public life.” Speech balloon “now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy!” Caption “that was naive.” Next row, first panel, slightly more than page width - closeup on trump’s open mouth, shouting “when you’re a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pussy. you can do anything.” Caption “surely, there’d be no coming back from this?” Second panel - silhouettes of tiki torch carrying rioters with their shirt collars showing. Caption “or this?” Dialogue “you also had some very fine people on both sides.” Caption “and yet…” Third row - three panels, first slightly more than a third, rest smaller still. Silhouette of trump throwing a paper towel roll like shooting a basketball. Dialogue “a great day…” Caption “c’mon…”. Second panel closeup on his lips, dialogue “why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Caption “really?” Third panel closeup on a coiled-style phone cord, dialogue “i would like you to do us a favor, though.” In background words from the first articles of impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. Dialogue “the call with ukraine was perfect, with “no pressure.” full alt-text on my site at the link
I made a comic on how we got here & trump/supporters - collecting things he's said that would seem to have been over the line - and how that never seems to be the case is the real problem...
on my site with full alt-text and citations here spinweaveandcut.com/draw-the-line/
The OLR violates the basic principles of justice and has no place in Scotland if it wishes to be a fair and progressive country.
Want to help? Go to nolr.org/how-you-can-..., where you can find a template letter to your MSP, make a donation or contact us and join us as a member.
We should find a way to tackle harm in society instead of focussing all our anxiety on a few individuals while lots of the same goes on outside. Reports do not reduce harm. See e.g. transformharm.org for better ideas.
When you are on an OLR, the system is so rigid and it is so bureaucratic, it’s not like any other long sentence because it has so many extra layers of bureaucracy, so it is easier being a life sentenced prisoner (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist) #NOLR
'I think one of the biggest flaws for me is that it's under-resourced, and there isn't enough case managers, there is not enough specialist services' (Policy professional, RMA) #JusticeScot #NOLR
The OLR no's increase and we don’t have the capacity to manage them effectively. Then it impacts on the life population … it was just assumed that we dealt with what was given to us, but the practical application of it was not realised and then it got worse and worse and worse (Prison manager)
''You've got some OLRs that have the tiniest punishment part, you're talking months, up to a few years. So, by the time they access any kind of intervention they are already post tariff...” (Forensic psychologist) #NOLR #JustcieReform
'A lot of what the OLR was about was the preparation of the risk assessment. Nobody needs an assessment, they need the outcome of the assessment to be delivered, too often the assessment becomes an end in itself' (Former member, Parole Board for Scotland) #ScotJustice #NOLR
'He's not motivated to progress with anything. He is too reluctant three years in to have any type of relationship, form peers or get a job because he's like, what's the point? I’ve got an OLR' (Community Justice Social Worker) #NOLR #CommunityJustice
Harrowing #NOLR
#NOLR @prtuk.bsky.social @howardleague-scot.bsky.social @kir-anderson.bsky.social @fergusmcneill.bsky.social
Today we are drawing on Nicola Ceesay’s forthcoming PhD thesis to highlight the perspectives of practitioners. #NOLR
Let's do this! Let's make some noise by writing to MSPs and sharing these stories of OLR injustice everywhere we can!
‘I’ has offered her nephew a home and a family if he was ever to be released. She acknowledges he would be one of the lucky ones. She supports the NOLR Campaign, ‘for ‘J’ and all other young men whom have been handed this inhumane, barbaric sentence’ 5/5 #NOLR
She writes ‘I love J dearly and am devastated at how he has been treated by the system, which is supposedly in place to protect vulnerable children and young adults but has badly failed him and traumatized him even further by their handling of his case’ 4/5 #NOLR
She is proud of how he has dealt with adversity and acknowledges his faults. ‘We have discussed his situation several times and ‘J’ has been very honest and open about what he has done, hasn't done and what he hopes for his future’ 3/5 #NOLR
