Salmond defends open prison system

Jun 2 2009

First Minister Alex Salmond has defended the use of open prisons and insisted that scrapping the controversial jails would make Scotland less safe.

The SNP Government has come under opposition attack on the issue after convicted murderer John Brown failed to return to Castle Huntly open jail near Dundee last week.

It happened days after another prisoner, Brian Martin, handed himself into the authorities after going on the run from the same jail.