This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Glenochil Prison inspection report
25/03/2004
The HM Chief Inspector of Prison's
report on Glenochil Prison was published today.
A full inspection was conducted in
September 2003 and praises the prison's:
- anti-suicide strategy
- full access to work
- provision of programmes to
address risks and needs
- the fact that no prisoner has to
share a cell.
However, it also highlights areas for
further improvement including:
- daily build up of filth in the
exercise yards
- the role of education should be
promoted more actively
- some prisoners remain in
Glenochil after they might have expected to progress to
open conditions.
HMCIP Dr Andrew McLellan said:
"Glenochil Priosn has moved on since
1996, when images still lingered of suicides in the 1980s
and incidents that occurred in the adult prison.
A confident management team, a satisfactory
anti-suicide strategy and anecdotal evidence from prisoners
are all indications that Glenochil has successfully tackled
these issues.
"There is no overcrowding in Glenochil
and also considerably less movement in and out of the
prison than other establishments.
There is full access to work and programmes,
no shared accommodation, stable staffing arrangements and
good rehabilitation work with prisoners with drug problems.
"Physical education, the canteen arrangements,
anti-drug intelligence, the award-winning metal fabrication
work, relationships with the local community, and the
administrative systems of management are all commended in
the report.
"However, challenges remain.
There is a daily build up of filth in the
exercise yards; the role of education should be promoted
more actively; and healthcare is clearly a major concern to
prisoners although some of their concerns are not
substantiated in the report.
"There is also an issue about
progression within Glenochil and movement out of the prison
to open conditions.
The internal prisoner management system
means that those who have worked their way through the
prison find themselves in the hall with the least
structural improvement and with few additional privileges.
"Some prisoners also remain in
Glenochil after they might have expected to progress to
open conditions.
This does not provide the maximum possible
preparation for release for long-term prisoners.
"Overall, however, this is a positive
report on a prison where staff have made a determined
effort to move on from the past.
This is reflected in good staff/prisoner
relationships, relatively low levels of violence, and the
fact that there had been no escapes since the last
inspection in 1996."
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.