This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Improvements at Greenock Prison
17/05/2005
Greenock Prison has successfully addressed all previous
recommendations, according to the latest report from the
Chief Inspector of Prisons.
Dr Andrew McLellan's report, which describes a follow up
inspection in January 2005, notes that:
- Reduced prisoner numbers have resulted in
improvements to the regime. More prisoners can access
work, staff have more time for contact with prisoners,
more visits are available and there is less
bullying.
- Arrangements for sentence management are
inconsistent
- The use of the new Links Centre is a welcome and
innovative expansion of services promoting social
inclusion
- The prison has reviewed its prisoner external work
placement scheme - this is now well organised and is
making a very good contribution to preparing prisoners
for release
Dr McLellan said:
"This report provides a context for two important
messages not limited to Greenock Prison. The first is about
overcrowding, the second is about sentence management.
"First, this report illustrates the difference made when
overcrowding is reduced. In very many reports the dangers
of overcrowding have been emphasised. This report is
different. Greenock prison is still overcrowded, but it is
much less overcrowded than it was even a few months
ago.
"During this inspection there were 298 prisoners in
Greenock, 35 fewer than a year ago. The design capacity is
254. So at the time of this inspection the prison was 17
per cent overcrowded.
"Some improvements are already being seen. Food is
served more quickly so temperature and quality are better.
More prisoners can access work, staff have more time for
contact with prisoners and more family visits are available
to prisoners.
"Staff spoke about less bullying, more time to do
security checks, and more time out of cell for prisoners.
Staff and managers also spoke of lower stress levels and a
reduction in absence. All of these benefits can be
attributed to the reduction in numbers.
"Second, this report draws attention to weaknesses in
sentence management, which are a persistent and worrying
feature of inspection reports in different prisons. In the
inspections of individual prisons undertaken last year,
serious questions have been raised about sentence
management in at least five. That is a high figure for an
issue of such fundamental importance.
"When prisons are overcrowded, sentence management is
much more difficult to manage. But it is in the interests
of prisoners and of public safety that sentence management
is carried out well. Where this does not happen, as appears
to be the case in one third of Scottish prisons, both
prisoners and public safety may be harmed."
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.
The inspection of Greenock was a follow up inspection
with a focus on conditions in which prisoners live and on
the way prisoners are treated.