This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Slopping out ends at Barlinnie
05/08/2004
Slopping out at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow has ended
with the transfer of prisoners to a newly refurbished A
Hall which has been upgraded to provide integral sanitation
and electric power in every cell.
The cost of the upgrading at Scotland's largest prison
was about £4 million, a figure included in the £25
million The Scottish Prison Service has invested in recent
years.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"This is an important step forward for the Scottish
Prison Service - not just as a symbol of the changing face
of prisons in Scotland but for the staff and prisoners
within Barlinnie.
The Executive is committed to improving the conditions
in the prison estate we inherited.
"We have already backed that commitment with sustained
investment to allow SPS to make that a reality - and as I
announced in May we are now taking steps to accelerate
reforms to improve conditions and make better use of
custody.
"This is not about making life 'softer' for offenders.
Investment in fair prison conditions will also contribute
to improved public safety.
It is about giving experienced, professional prison
staff the environment they need to effectively tackle the
offending behaviour that brings too many repeat offenders
back into jail time and time again.
"This investment programme, allied to the radical
programme of reforms underway in the criminal justice
system, can together make prison work better for us
all."
Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of SPS, said:
"I am delighted that after 122 years of slopping out at
Barlinnie we have been able to end the practice at
Scotland's biggest prison.
"This achievement has been made possible by the record
level of investment in SPS by the Scottish Executive
supplemented by savings which SPS has made by becoming more
efficient and competitive.
"We have recently created new houseblocks at HMP
Edinburgh and HMYOI Polmont and have another block under
construction at Edinburgh and a large new block at HMP
Glenochil.
"We have just awarded contracts for the construction of
a new Healthcare and Education facility at Edinburgh, a new
Segregation Unit at Glenochil and a Regimes and Energy
centre at HMP Perth. We expect to award further contracts
soon at Polmont."
Total capital investment by SPS in the prison estate is
now running at almost £2 million pounds per week. It
underlines the commitment by the Scottish Executive to
create a prison estate that is "fit for purpose for the
21st century."