The Prison Lawyer

04/01/2019

New SPS Home Detention Curfew Guidance

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…
02/01/2019

Judicial Review of the Parole Board for Scotland

Applying for parole is an extremely important part of the sentencing process. We believe that the parole process starts the day a person is sentenced to a long term or indeterminate sentence. We have previously written a post, which can be found here, about the process and the importance of legal representation in the application process,…
16/12/2018

Road Traffic Law

At McGreevy & Co., Solicitors we spend a lot of time on the road travelling to courts and prisons across Scotland. We therefore appreciate the importance of your driving licence to you. When faced with criminal charges for driving offences we understand the stress and worry this can cause. The stakes can often be high…
02/12/2017

Narrative: The Koestler Scotland Exhibition 2017

The Koestler Scotland exhibition has returned to The Tramway in Glasgow. A few weeks ago I attended the opening of this excellent exhibition. I was kindly invited once again by a client who is presently in prison. This client’s work had been chosen to be shown in this year’s exhibition and his work has been exhibited many times…
14/01/2017

How to contact The Prison Lawyer.

Our Mr Smith can be contacted in the following ways:- Telephone 0141 239 7407 (direct dial land line) 07968802638 (mobile telephone) Each of these telephone numbers has an answering machine. If Mr Smith is unable to answer your call, please wait for the greeting to end and thereafter leave your name, contact details and a…
27/11/2016

Koestler Trust Prisoner Art Exhibition at Robertson House, Glasgow

One of my clients very kindly arranged for me to attend the opening of the Koestler Trust Exhibition at Robertson House in Glasgow on Friday evening. Unfortunately, due to funding issues, there is no Scottish exhibition for the Koestler Trust this year. Luckily, The Robertson Trust stepped in and offered Robertson House as a…
23/10/2016

So, I have been invited to the 2017 Gumball 3000!!

A few weeks ago I returned to the office after a hard day on the road to find an unusual black envelope embossed with the Gumball 3000 logo. I buy lots of Gumball 3000 clothing, probably more than is acceptable (at least to my wife!), so my initial thought was that it was probably a catalogue. It didn’t even…
23/10/2016

Adjudication Hearings in Scottish Prisons

I recently represented a client at an adjudication hearing before the Governor in relation to an alleged breach of prison discipline. This was the first time in my career that I had been allowed to attend such a hearing. It was suggested to me in the run up to the hearing that it may not…
02/07/2016

Parole

At McGreevy & Co., we have extensive experience of representing prisoners before the Parole Board for Scotland. Whether by assisting determinate sentence prisoners in drafting their self-representations or representing Life Prisoners at their Tribunal we are ready and able to help. Our Mr Smith has been assisting prisoners with their applications for parole for approximately…
27/06/2016

What to do if you are detained by the Police.

YOUR RIGHTS IN POLICE CUSTODY At McGreevy and Co., Solicitors we regularly provide advice to clients who find themselves in police custody. We have provided advice in cases ranging from the most minor, such as someone detained for the theft of a bag of crisps through to the most serious, such as rape and…