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HLS is the only campaigning organisation dedicated to penal reform based in Scotland. HLS is entirely funded by voluntary donations and the occasional grant. We do not seek government funding so that we can speak out freely on issues of concern. We have been independent since 1979, with our own constitution and a dedicated focus on penal reform in Scotland. HLS seeks to balance the need for differentiation of Scottish Law and Penal Policies from those elsewhere. HLS continues to campaign for: • a reduction in the prison population size, whilst continuing to highlight issues specific to the women’s prison estate • an increase in the minimum age of criminal responsibility, to meet and exceed international standards set by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child • effective community sentences as an alternative to short-term prison sentences • appropriate and proportionate spent convictions legislation.