Millions of pounds confiscated from criminals is to be re-invested in projects aimed at turning young people away from a life of crime, it was announced yesterday.

Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, told parliament that £8m from the proceeds of crime would be used to expand the range of sports, arts and leisure opportunities for Scots youngsters, particularly those in communities which are hardest hit by crime.

Figures in the arts, sports and business worlds will also be expected to contribute to the fund, the minister said.

The announcement was made as it was revealed that more than £6m was seized in the past year under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows the authorities to confiscate the assets of criminals.

However, Mr MacAskill also came under fire from Labour and the Conservatives over the SNP's plans to scrap sentences under six months and replace them with community disposals as part of a drive to reduce the prison population.

In a speech setting out his priorities in government, Mr MacAskill said the executive would seek to promote good behaviour among young people as well as cracking down on those who break the law.

He said: "Young people across Scotland make a vital contribution to the life of our communities. However, many of them simply do not have enough to do, and that can lead them into trouble.

"I am not prepared to give up on these young people and am determined to do more to prevent them becoming just another statistic."

Mr MacAskill said the £8m would be available from the autumn and that he would be holding talks with various bodies to decide how it could best be spent. "I want to send out a clear message to Scotland's young people that this new government will be as resolute in building opportunities for positive behaviour as it is in tackling the bad behaviour of the mindless few," he said.

The minister also reiterated the SNP's plans to recruit an extra 1000 police officers, tackling alcohol abuse, as well as getting tough on drug dealing and knife crime.

He also confirmed the executive's plans to set up a serious crime task force and floated the possibility that the Airborne Initiative, a camp for young offenders which was scrapped by the previous executive, could be re-established.

It was, howver, the SNP's plans for sentences of six months and under which drew the most criticism from the opposition benches.

Mr MacAskill said: "Prison should be for serious and dangerous offenders, not fine defaulters or the flotsam and jetsom of our communities. We want tough community punishments which will protect the public, help offenders turn their lives around and give some clear payback to the communities that they have harmed."

However, Margaret Curran, Labour's shadow justice secretary, said the policy was sending out the wrong message. She said: "We need to be very clear about the implications of this policy and the signal that it sends."

Ms Curran said that among those who were sentenced to less than six months were those convicted of drink-driving, breach of the peace and indecent assault. "Will the SNP policy mean that there will be people released into the community who have committed acts of violence?" she said.

"The problem with the SNP is that they are looking at the length of the sentence, not the content of the crime."

Bill Aitken, the Tories' justice spokesman, said there was "a total lack of confidence in existing community disposals".

Margaret Smith, the Liberal Democrats' justice spokeswoman, said she backed the SNP plans, pointing out that research showed community sentences can reduce the risk of re-offending.