John Swinney will announce reforms to sentencing

Football hooligans and troublemakers could be forced to spend weekends behind bars, or electronically tagged, under new SNP proposals.

In a keynote election speech in Edinburgh, party leader John Swinney said that locking up persistent troublemakers would act as more of a deterrent than fining them.

Labour's plans to punish the parents of delinquent children came under fire from their former coalition partners in the Liberal Democrat party.

'Dubious legality'

They said that sending parents to jail was the best way to increase the crime rate among youngsters.

The Conservatives described the plans as "unworkable" and of "dubious legality".

The SNP move for weekend sentencing aims to provide more effective penalties against the disorder caused by regular troublemakers, whether outside football grounds or at the country's pubs and clubs.

"Those who commit acts of public disorder, either at the football match, or on a Saturday night outside the pub, should pay a penalty that suits the offence," Mr Swinney said.

Hugh Henry; "Legal framework"

Meanwhile, Labour's social justice spokesman Hugh Henry insisted that proposals to punish the parents of delinquent children would work as part of the existing legal framework for dealing with young offenders.

He said: "The punishment would only come in if the parents failed to act on a requirement set by the children's hearing system.

"For example, if a child is misbehaving or running wild in the streets, then the children's hearing system could potentially require the parent to keep the child indoors or it could require the parent to attend counselling and support services."

If the parent refuses action will be taken against them in the courts under Labour's new policy.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats, whose leader Jim Wallace was the justice minister in the previous coalition government, said they could not support plans to punish the parents of delinquent children.

Football hooligans

Spokesman Nicol Stephen: "I don't think there is any clear evidence that punishing parents, fining parents or sending them to prison is what works.

"If we send parents to prison and end up with more local authorities looking after our young people all the evidence is that this is the best way to increase the crime rate.

"The children who have the greatest problems in Scotland are those who are looked after by the local authority."

The Scottish Conservatives dismissed the proposals of both Labour and SNP to deal with delinquent children and football hooligans.

Bill Aitken: 'Reality check'

Spokesman Bill Aitken said Labour's suggestion was of "dubious legality".

"I doubt if the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) provisions would permit this."

"Apart from anything else, let's have a reality check here.

"Many of these offenders come from single-parent families so if the mother gets locked up who looks after the rest of the children?"

He described the move as a "non-starter" dreamed up by Labour as a soundbite for the course of the election.