More than 100 moderate to high risk sex offenders failed to complete a rehabilitation programme before they were released from prison.

Campaign group For Women Scotland has described the figures as “wilfully reckless” and raised concerns women and children could be put at risk.

Freedom of information data seen by The Herald showed 158 prisoners were released from prison before they had completed the Moving Forward to Change (MF2C) programme between March 2021 and June 2024.

The programme, which was first implemented across the criminal justice system in 2013-14 before being updated in 2019, is aimed at reducing the risk of reoffending among males convicted of sex crimes.

It is targeted at men assessed to be of medium to high risk who have been convicted of a sexual offence or a non-sexual offence that contains a sexual element.

The figures, provided by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) cover those who did not have sufficient time to complete the programme ahead of their release to the community and those refused places on the intervention and were subsequently released.

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For Women Scotland said offenders should not have the option to refuse the course and those released prior to completion should be required to undertake it as part of their conditions.

HMP Glenochil, near Alloa, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Barlinnie, near Glasgow, had the most registered sex offenders who were released before completing the course.

A For Woman Scotland spokeswoman said the campaign group were “horrified” by the figures.

“While rehabilitation programmes are not a silver bullet, they have been shown to reduce rates of recidivism for this category of offender,” the spokeswoman said.

“Sex offenders should not have the option of refusing places on such programmes, and those released before completion should be bound to continue in the community as a condition of parole.

“Anything less is wilfully reckless and will put women and children and risk.

“We also know that the number of registered sex offenders in Scotland has risen by 50% over the past decade and that hundreds breach their notification requirements every year.

“Watering down the mechanisms currently in place to rehabilitate these men will only make the situation worse.”

As of August 2024, there were 7,120 registered sex offenders in Scotland, a 3.7% increase from the previous month and a 22% increase since December 2020 and up from 5,787 in 2015.

The rehabilitation figures have also been criticised by Sharon Dowey, deputy justice spokeswoman for the Scottish Tories.

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She said: “Victims will be alarmed that scores of sex offenders are being released without carrying out this compulsory programme.

“The SNP’s failure to fully fund our prisons means there is a continued lack of focus on prisoner rehabilitation.

“That means many inmates are totally ill-equipped to integrate positively back into our communities.”

The majority of those – 70 – who had left prison before completing the course were from HMP Glenochil, while 39 were from Edinburgh, 22 were released from Barlinnie and 17 from Dumfries.

HMP Addiewll, Grampian, Kilmarnock and Perth were the other prisons included in the data.

Ms Dowey added: “SNP ministers must show some common sense and prioritise the needs of victims over criminals and ensure every sexual offender completes this programme before leaving prison.”

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said the programme was only of many aimed at limiting reoffending, but said the schemes had been impacted by the Covid pandemic.

Not all of those on the waiting list for an offender behaviour programme may want, or be ready to take the specific Moving Forward to Change course when the opportunity arises, the spokesman said.

“The rehabilitation of individuals in our care, supporting their personal journey, reducing their risk of reoffending, and helping to build safer communities, are all key priorities,” he said.

“Restrictions imposed to keep people safe during the Covid pandemic, challenges with staff resourcing and our prisoner transport contract, and the high and complex population we are currently managing, have all impacting on access to offender behaviour programmes in recent years.

“However, they remain a key priority and work is well underway on increasing access to these courses, which are just one of the ways in our staff support those in our care and prepare them for release.”

The figures also do not include those who have started the programme and then chosen to disengage or pause their involvement, the prison service said.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The re-designed national programme for sexual offending, Moving Forward 2 Change (MF2C), is delivered in custody and in the community. The independent Parole Board make decisions about whether an individual is ready to be released based on risk to the public.”