This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Complaints commission publishes annual report
23/06/1999
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE SCOTTISH PRISON COMPLAINTS COMMISSION
Almost a third of prisoners who formally complained to the Scottish Prison Complaints Commission last year saw a substantial improvement in their situation, according to the commission's annual report published today.
The commission, an independent body which investigates complaints from prisoners unhappy with the outcome of the internal complaints system, received 397 applications in 1998 and 319 of these were accepted for investigation. Nineteen of these led to recommendations to the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and 72 led to conciliated settlements.
The largest number of complaints were about punishments handed out by governors for breaches of prison discipline, with security categories, visits, lost property and prison transfers the most common other complaints.
Commissioner Dr Jim McManus said:
"The independent complaints commission is now firmly established in Scotland as a further guarantee of fairness and compliance with the rule of law in the closed community of the prison. This has been, and continues to be, largely because of the high level of co-operation received from all parts of the SPS, where there is a genuine commitment to openness and accountability and to improving procedures so that mistakes are not repeated.
"The SPS Chief Executive rejected five of my recommendations in 1998, three of which concerned the conduct of intimate strip searches. While we continue to disagree over this matter, I am pleased to see that a new circular has been issued in 1999 offering guidance to governors on the conduct of these searches.
"Conciliation continues to be my most widely-used tactic in resolving complaints - if a governor agrees that something has gone wrong and is able and prepared to do something about it, then it seems sensible to resolve the problem there and then. Not only does this provide a speedy solution for the prisoner but it also ensures that there is a direct learning opportunity for the staff involved. It is also pleasing to note that a growing number of prison staff are now contacting our office before making decisions which might cause problems.
"Most complaints last year came from prisons holding long-term adult male prisoners but there has been an increase in complaints from short-term prisons, notably Barlinnie. This is encouraging as it demonstrates an increasing awareness of the complaints system among short-term prisoners and a willingness to use established procedures as a way of resolving problems."
News Release: 1301/99
23 June 1999