Clive Fairweather said the project proved its effectiveness

Funding for the Airborne Initiative in Lanarkshire was withdrawn.

The programme aimed to reduce offending by taking young people with problems on residential courses to remove them from drugs and alcohol.

Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry dismissed Clive Fairweather's call and dubbed it a political stunt.

Ministers announced in February last year that they were withdrawing their �600,000 in funding for the project at Braidwood House in Carluke.

The decision came after a BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary exposed drug-taking, alcohol abuse and some violence among teenagers but ministers denied that their decision was related to the programme's revelations.

Residential model

The project offered education and a programme of outward bound activities to persistent and dangerous young offenders.

The directors of the initiative, including Mr Fairweather, have drawn up a report detailing lessons to be learned and proposing a similar scheme for young offenders.

They said the project's residential model had provided an effective way of reducing reoffending, which was borne out by crime figures for the period 1999-2001.

Ms Fairweather said: "The main message was that towards the end it was more effective than we thought and certainly far more effective than prison.

"An equivalent nine weeks in prison produces a much higher rate of reoffending than a residential case in Airborne."

The quality on the residential aspect of Airborne was that the individuals were taken away from the peer group Clive Fairweather

Mr Fairweather said the executive appeared to be going for "quantity rather than quality" in investing the money from Airborne in community-based programmes.

He said: "The quality on the residential aspect of Airborne was that the individuals were taken away from the peer group.

"Whereas if you were on a course in the community, when you get back off that come five or six o'clock in the evening, your pals are just getting out of their beds about that point having just slept off whatever they did last night and are ready to go out on the tear again.

"I really think that the chances of success are less than when you can actually isolate individuals, and you either isolate them on a residential course like Airborne or you isolate them on a residential course like prison, but unfortunately there aren't enough staff to deal with short-term offenders."

Mr Henry said: "The publication of this report a week-and-a-half ahead of the general election is part of a political ploy by the Scottish National Party. They have said in their manifesto that they would re-establish the Airborne project.

"The report has been prepared by Stuart Crawford Associates. He has been a candidate both for the Scottish Parliament and Westminster, he's been a paid advocate on behalf of Airborne and I think that it's a bit cynical this report coming out a week-and-a-half ahead of the election."

However, Mr Crawford told BBC Scotland: ""I wrote no part of this report. I have not been a member of the SNP for more than three years and to link this report with the SNP is preposterous."