Kate Nevens and the 1 prison abolition row now testing the Greens
Kate Nevens has turned a fringe-sounding justice debate into a political problem with immediate election consequences. The Scottish Green candidate, standing on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list, has said she is keen to live in a Scotland with no jails. That position has triggered criticism from rivals and created a sharper question for voters: is this a personal view, or a sign of where the party’s justice politics could be headed if she reaches Holyrood?
Why the kate nevens row matters now
The timing matters because Nevens is in a strong position to win a seat if the Greens perform well next month. She is the party’s second pick on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list, and she is also standing in Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith. That makes her comments more than a passing controversy. In an election environment, a candidate’s stated position can quickly become a test of party discipline, credibility and public confidence.
The issue has widened because the Scottish prison population hit a record high last month, giving justice reform fresh political visibility. Against that backdrop, Nevens’s language about abolition has landed as a direct challenge to conventional thinking on punishment and rehabilitation. The row has also intersected with a broader dispute over whether the Greens are prepared to soften their stance or push further in the same direction.
What Nevens actually said about prisons
In an Instagram video, Nevens described herself as a prison abolitionist and said she wants to see the complete abolition of the prison system in Scotland. She said prisons are not safe, are violent, and are poor for people’s health and wellbeing, particularly for women. She also argued that they fail to support rehabilitation and do not make people safer.
Later, Nevens said the ultimate goal of the Greens was not to have the prisons system as it is right now. In the meantime, she said the party wanted to massively reduce the number of people being sent to jail while focusing on community justice, including electronic tagging and unpaid or low-paid work as alternatives to custody. She also called for action on the root causes of crime, citing trauma and inequality. The repeated use of kate nevens in her own public intervention has ensured that her position is now closely associated with the wider argument over what justice reform should mean in practice.
Party line, candidate line and the political gap
A Green spokesperson said jails should be used as a last resort, but stopped short of calling for abolition. The spokesperson added that the party wants to end mass incarceration and punishment, while focusing instead on crime prevention and supporting victims.
That distinction matters. On paper, the party position is narrower than the candidate’s stated ambition. In practice, the gap between the two has become the heart of the dispute. Critics say the candidate’s language goes beyond what the party itself is prepared to defend openly, while supporters may see the comments as a more uncompromising expression of reformist politics. Either way, the controversy has exposed the difficulty of separating a candidate’s personal messaging from a party’s broader public brand.
Political reaction and wider impact
Political rivals have seized on the comments with unusually direct language. One described the views as absolutely bonkers and monumentally stupid. Another called the proposal insane and irresponsible, arguing that someone who believes murderers and rapists should not be locked up should not be close to power. The criticism has not only targeted Nevens, but also raised questions about how much control party leaders have over the candidates presenting the party to voters.
The episode has already spilled into wider coalition speculation. While the Greens are hoping to win a record number of MSPs, the row has complicated the public debate around whether they could again be part of a governing arrangement after the election. At the same time, the comments have sharpened attention on justice policy at a moment when prison capacity, rehabilitation and community alternatives are all under scrutiny.
For voters, the central issue is not whether prison reform is needed, but how far a party can go before its message stops sounding like reform and starts sounding like abolition. If kate nevens is elected, that question will not fade after election day — it may become one of the defining tests of what the Greens are prepared to defend in government.
