At the end of October 2018, the Scottish Prison Service changed the way they assess prisoners for release on a  Home Detention Curfew (HDC).  As a result of this change, there has been an almost 75%  reduction in the number of prisoners granted an HDC.

The reasons for the policy change are explained in  Governors and Managers:  Action Notice 065a/18.

The Action Notice explains the material changes in the previous policy and the  new presumptions against HDC.  We are presently considering a number of cases to see if there is a basis for Judicial Review.  To date, the SPS website has not been updated to reflect the change and, as a result, the associated guidance has not been published.  We have had a number of calls from prisoners and their families about the impact of this change in policy. We thought it might be helpful to publish the new draft guidance here.

Home Detention Curfew Guidance for Agencies October 2018

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact.