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1. PREAMBLE
1.1 Glenochil is already very much changed and there is more change to come. Anyone driving past the prison can see some of the change, for the building work is obvious. Since the last inspection three accommodation houseblocks have been demolished. One large houseblock, Harviestoun House, which holds almost as many prisoners as the three blocks which it replaces, has been opened; a new segregation unit, Devon Hall, has also been opened. The old-style 'D' Hall is still occupied. At the time of inspection work was moving toward completion for the construction of another houseblock, and a building to include the Health Centre, the visit area and the staff facility. It is difficult to manage a prison with so much building work and so much change. The report shows that the process has been, and is being, managed well.
1.2 Harviestoun House is very like the houseblocks which have been opened in Polmont and Edinburgh. Accommodation of this kind has been welcomed in other reports: it provides a much improved standard of cell, furniture and toilet access from the accommodation which it is replacing: and these better conditions are good for prisoners and also help to improve the working environment for staff. Nevertheless, as these houseblocks come into use, concerns are beginning to emerge. They are very large: any one of them holds at least 300 prisoners. This number is more than double the total population of some small prisons. On each floor, the distances from the centre, where staff are based, to the end is considerable, and it is difficult for staff and prisoners to avoid shouting. This distance may discourage interaction between staff and prisoners. There are ventilation problems, and the blocks can become very hot. However, there was more comment from staff and prisoners about one specific issue than any other. Significant numbers of long-term prisoners are sharing cells: and as part of progression will often move from a single cell into a shared cell. This has aroused anger.
1.3 While the residential arrangements might be different when the next new houseblock opens, at the time of inspection there were three groups of prisoners in Glenochil. The experience of each is different. The best experience, despite the anger over cell-sharing and the oppressive heat, is in the new houseblock. For everyone in 'D' Hall the experience is less good. But for prisoners on protection in 'D' Hall it is noticeably worse. They have the poorest opportunities for education and work, leading to the most time locked in cell, the fewest opportunities for progression; and they reported the least good relationships between staff and prisoners.
1.4 All prisoners spoken to said that they felt safe; there was frequent reference to the presence of cameras as a positive contribution to the feeling of safety. Relationships between staff and prisoners are good (although the SPS survey has a figure slightly below the SPS average for prisoners' perception of atmosphere). There have been no suicides since November 2003.
1.5 The new system of Integrated Case Management is designed to prepare prisoners better for release. One key component of the system is that social workers from the community in which a prisoner lives are involved in the process throughout the sentence. Recent reports on other prisons have hinted that early indications of the working of this new process have been encouraging. That is certainly true at Glenochil. However, this report indicates that the number of prisoners assessed as needing the new Violence Prevention Programme far exceeds the resources available: and is likely to cause problems in the working out of the ICM process. It is causing blockage in the progression system and anger among prisoners.
1.6 Three aspects of healthcare are singled out for comment. The service provided by the dentist is exceptionally good. Waiting times have been reduced, and plans are in place for other improvements. There is very good multi-disciplinary work in the areas of addiction, mental health and blood-borne viruses. On the other hand, the practice of officers shouting down halls to alert prisoners to the dispensing of medicines should be stopped.
1.7 There is not nearly enough work for prisoners. Moreover, in some cases prisoners assigned to a job are not able to do it since they have not received the proper training. There are vocational training opportunities, but they are not available in several parts of the prison where many prisoners work. Physical education provides a good experience for nearly every prisoner; and a good educational experience for several. Those prisoners who participate in education are well served; but the number is very small. More than half of all assessed prisoners (nearly one quarter are not even assessed) have high priority needs in literacy and numeracy; but less than 25% of all prisoners were attending education classes. Early in 2007 there will be an additional 230 prisoners in Glenochil. There is no evidence at this time that there will be sufficient work and learning opportunities to meet the needs of a population which will have increased by 52%.
1.8 Food in Glenochil is rated by prisoners well below the national average in the Prisoner Survey, and it is rated below the figure of three years ago. Apart from cell-sharing the quality of the food was the most frequent complaint of all prisoner groups. There may be two reasons for the lack of improvement. One is the time which meals spend in trolleys before it is served. The other is the budget. The cost of basic foodstuffs like potatoes has increased significantly in the last twelve months. The amount spent per prisoner is the same as it was in 1996.
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