Progression through Scotland’s prison system — moving to the open estate, accessing parole, or qualifying for Home Detention Curfew (HDC) — is often confusing, particularly for those without support or knowledge of the progression system. SPARC provides advocacy for individuals at every stage of this process, from short-term prisoners to those serving life sentences.

One young man, Liam, had received multiple conflicting HDC dates, was not seeing his personal officer, and had not been assigned a community justice social worker. SPARC obtained the necessary mandates and collaborated with SPS and external services to clarify his status. We also supported a family member, who had been trying to assist without understanding the system. Through regular follow-ups and direct contact with staff, we resolved the confusion, and Liam was eventually released on HDC. He is now serving the remainder of his sentence within the community.

In another case, James, a life-sentenced prisoner, had been waiting for months to appear before the Risk Management Team (RMT) — the board that decides whether an individual can progress to “top-end” and eventually the open estate. Despite being informed that he was on the RMT list, no progress was made. Through advocacy and coordination with his solicitor, SPARC uncovered that a key programme requirement had been mistakenly marked as “incomplete” due to an ‘alleged offence’ in prison. Once corrected, James was reviewed, progressed through the system, and has since secured parole.

These cases show how administrative errors and unclear processes can seriously delay someone’s progress — and how timely, informed advocacy can make all the difference.

Names and identifying details have been changed for confidentiality.