Scotland’s prisons have seen a significant rise in remand prisoners due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with young people particularly affected, according to a new report. Research by penal reform group Howard League Scotland shows that remand prisoners accounted for 16.1% of those imprisoned shortly before the pandemic in February 2020, but now stands at a “scandalous” 23.9%. For prisoners aged 16 to 20, 42.6% of them are on remand. Howard League Scotland is now calling for an end to what they say is an “unacceptably high” use of remand, with a week-long campaign on social media highlighting the issue using the hashtag #demandlessremand. The organisation stated: “Despite an initial reduction in both the convicted and untried prison population at the start of the pandemic, a new report by Howard League Scotland shows that there has been a significant rise in the number of people held on remand in Scotland, particularly amongst young people.