This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Lothian and Borders police inspection
16/10/2003
Overcrowding is the single issue which causes most
damage in Scottish prisons, according to HM Chief Inspector
of Prisons Andrew McLellan.
Commenting on the publication of the
prison inspectorate's annual report covering the period
April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003, Dr McLellan said:
"Overcrowding determines so much of what happens in
individual prisons; and so much of the central management
of the Scottish Prison Service is driven by the need to
accommodate ever-growing numbers of prisoners.
"Conditions, safety and the ability to address offending
behaviour through provision of work, education and
programmes are all affected by this overcrowding. I see no
prospect of any significant improvement in either the
conditions in which prisoners live and the treatment
prisoners receive until the problem of overcrowding is
dealt with.
"Drug addiction also dominates much of prison life and
activity, and examining its implications takes up a good
deal of space in the reports by the Inspectorate. It can
affect levels of violence, the health of prisoners and the
security of the prison.
"Testing for drugs consumes a great deal of staff time.
Whether or not this is the most productive way of
responding to addiction is at least a question to be
asked.
"The length of time some prisoners spend in their cells
has been a concern of Inspectorate reports in the past, and
has regularly featured in the past year.
"There can be different reasons for prisoners spending
excessive amounts of time in cells but over and over again
the same combination of circumstances is the explanation:
the combination of overcrowding and staff shortages.
"I have been very much aware of the pressures put upon
staff numbers by the requirement to escort prisoners to
court, or to hospital, and am also very much aware of the
determination of prison management and staff to minimise
the amount of time prisoners spend locked up.
"Prison staff hope and I hope that proposed changes in
the escort system will give some establishments more time
to perform the functions for which there is almost no time
at the moment.
" 'Throughcare' describes assistance with re-integration
back into mainstream society and concern the whole process
beginning when a prisoner is first sentenced; and
continuing to the end of a period of supervision after
liberation. Inspectorate reports throughout the year have
welcomed encouraging developments in throughcare.
"Most people expect prisons to do two things: to keep
prisoners in custody and to make them less likely to offend
again when they are released from prison. The first of
these is done well in Scotland.
"The second is more problematic: the current situation
in Scotland's overcrowded prisons does not make it easy to
prepare prisoners properly for release but throughcare is a
sign of the importance which is attached to this
expectation and it will continue to be a concern for the
Inspectorate.
"Even the best throughcare, however, will not solve all
the problems and it would be unfair to expect our prisons
to solve the problems of Scotland. They will not do that
and they should not be blamed for failing to do that.
"For example many prisoners are addicted to heroin and
it is completely unrealistic to expect the deprivation of
liberty to eliminate the causes of their addiction.
"I see the same problems almost every time I visit a
prison. Prisoners are overwhelmingly young, overwhelmingly
male and overwhelmingly poor. Compared with the population
as a whole prisoners are much more likely to have been
taken into care as a child; be single teenage parents; have
no educational qualifications; have experienced long term
unemployment; suffer from three or more mental disorders;
and be homeless.
"It is mere scape-goating to blame prisons when they are
not able to solve the problems of society. The only way to
have permanently better prisons is to have a better
Scotland."
Under the terms of Section 7 of the Prisons (Scotland)
Act 1989 (as amended) it is the duty of the Chief Inspector
of Prisons to inspect or arrange for the inspection of
prisons, legalised police cells and prisoner escort
arrangements in Scotland.
Following each inspection the Chief Inspector reports to
Scottish Ministers on the treatment of prisoners and
conditions in prisons. The Chief Inspector submits an
Annual Report to Scottish Ministers. The Chief Inspector
may also report on any matter connected with Scottish
prisons as directed by Scottish Ministers.
Scotland's prisons are subject to regular inspection. A
full inspection normally takes place every three years and
examines all aspects of the establishment. Follow up
inspections are carried out in years where a full
inspection does not take place and these examine points of
note raised in previous inspections, examine significant
changes since then, and explore issues arising from the
establishment's own assessment of itself.