Glossary
E
"early release"
the term given to the system which permits the release of an offender, either on a discretionary or automatic basis and either conditionally or unconditionally, prior to the expiry of the sentence of imprisonment ordered by the court.
"extended sentence prisoner"
is one in respect of whom a court decides to impose a period of supervision where otherwise there would be none or a longer period of supervision than otherwise would be applicable. An extended sentence can be imposed on sex offenders who would have received a determinate sentence of any length and violent offenders who would have received a determinate sentence of 4 years or more.
I
"Integrated Case Management System"
the Integrated Case Management System ( ICMS) is an Information Technology-based system designed to help Scottish Prison Service staff and local authority criminal justice social workers. It allows a number of agencies to contribute to a management plan tailored to individual offenders resulting in a cohesive programme developed from a joined up approach.
L
"licence"
the statutory document which authorises an offender's release and contains the conditions s/he must keep, as being supervised by your criminal justice social worker
(otherwise referred to as his/her 'supervising officer').
"life prisoner"
is one sentenced to life imprisonment for murder (mandatory) or for a crime other than murder (discretionary) and has a "punishment part" set by the court.
"long-term offender"
is one serving a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 4 years or more.
P
"punishment part"
(life prisoners only) the period that the court considers appropriate to satisfy the requirements for retribution and deterrence - ignoring the period of confinement, if any, which may be necessary for the protection of the public - before the question of his/her release on licence can be considered by the Parole Board.
R
"risk assessment"
in this context, a risk assessment seeks to measure the risk that the offender poses of re-offending and of causing harm to the public. The assessment will be based on a number of contributing factors, such as prison record, psychological assessments and the offender's attitude towards his offending behaviour. Other mitigating factors, such as alcohol and drug abuse, also contribute to the overall assessment.
S
"short-term offender"
is one serving a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than 4 years.
T
"Throughcare"
Throughcare is the provision of a range of social work and associated services to offenders and their families from the point of sentence or remand, during the period in custody and following release into the community. Throughcare consists of two elements - work done within the prison setting through programmes to help individuals change their behaviour and work in the community to reintegrate offenders back into society.
U
"unconditional release"
means that an offender is released from custody without being subject to licence conditions or any form of supervision.