Scottish Government

2. Summary of Inspections Undertaken

Establishments

HMP Peterhead

Full inspection 1-5 May 2006

• There have been no escapes since the last inspection.
• Slopping out continues.
• The future of the prison is still uncertain.
• Prisoners feel safe and relationships between staff and prisoners are good.
• Induction arrangements for new prisoners are excellent.
• PE, laundry and catering arrangements are good.
• The provision of learning, skills and employability is good. However, work is not available to all prisoners, and not all workshops that can provide qualifications do so.
• A large number of complaints is made by a small number of prisoners.
• Pre-release arrangements for prisoners are poor.
• Not all prisoners have an allocated supervising social worker in the community, and the link between prison and community social work resources is not always adequate.
• Facilities for visitors arriving at the prison and for visits remain poor.
• There is a long waiting list for programmes, especially the STOP programme.
• Staffing issues are causing problems in the health centre.
• There is complacency towards addictions issues.

HMP Barlinnie

Full inspection 9-18 August 2006

• There had been no escapes in the past year.
• The end of slopping out and the refurbishment of parts of the prison have created much better conditions for staff and prisoners, and a much calmer atmosphere.
• Relationships between staff and prisoners are good.
• The catering arrangements have improved in most of the prison.
• An excellent 'First Night Centre' has been opened.
• The library is excellent.
• Advances have been made in the provision of chaplaincy and psychology.
• Prisoner numbers are very high; and overcrowding is very high.
• The conditions of and opportunities for remand prisoners are poor and limited.
• The cubicles in Reception remain unacceptable.
• There is a shortage of nursing staff.
• There are concerns about the provision of care by doctors to prisoners and about resolving complaints made by the prison to the healthcare provider.
• There are not enough opportunities for prisoners to participate in purposeful activity, but some of the vocational training opportunities are very good.
• Arrangements in the area of Race Relations have deteriorated.
• Only a few prisoners are allowed any personal clothing and the laundry arrangements for all prisoners is inadequate.

The Open Estate

Follow up inspection 18-20 September 2006

• There has been a good response to concerns raised in previous inspections.
• Murray House has opened, providing 141 places. This accommodation is very good.
• The dormitories in Wallace Wing and Bruce Wing have been converted and now provide much better accommodation.
• The Links Centre has opened and is a good facility providing a focus for activity in Castle Huntly.
• Continuous Cell Occupancy has started in Noranside. This provides an additional 27 prisoner places. The arrangements have been managed very well, but the impact on the rest of the regime is significant and needs to be monitored.
• Prisoners are spending less time locked in their rooms in Castle Huntly.
• Additional resources have been provided for social work and addictions and both of these departments are now better able to cope and are providing a very good service.
• The replacement of Sentence Management with Integrated Case Management has settled in well and provides a clearer structure and closer working relationships.

HMP Glenochil

Full inspection 2-6 October 2006

• There have been no suicides or escapes in the past year.
• Relationships between staff and prisoners are good.
• The extensive changes to the fabric of the prison have been well managed.
• Most prisoners are now in an impressive new accommodation hall. However, the new hall is very hot most of the time, and very noisy during recreation periods.
• Some prisoners now have to share cells. This is unusual for long-term prisoners, and it generates anger.
• There is not enough for prisoners to do.
• A new Violence Prevention Programme has been introduced. This is beginning to create a blockage in the progression system.
• Protection prisoners are in the poorest accommodation, and have least access to a range of facilities and opportunities.
• The quality of the catering service has deteriorated. Prisoners were very critical of the amount and quality of food provided.
• The visits room is inadequate. A new visit area was under construction during the inspection.
• Integrated Case Management is settling in well.
• The provision of education and training is excellent for a small number of prisoners. However, most prisoners do not have access to it.
• In spite of the dated facilities the standard of healthcare is good. The dental service and the Healthcare Forum are particularly impressive features.
• The health and social care components of addictions services are jointly managed and well linked.

HMP Edinburgh

Follow up inspection 24-25 October 2006

• An excellent new building housing the Reception, kitchen, laundry and workplaces has opened.
• There has been an improvement in the condition of the furniture, bedding and clothing of remand prisoners.
• Initial indications are that the replacement of Sentence Management with Integrated Case Management has been well managed.
• Prisoners on remand have little to do.
• There is an increasing number of prisoners with serious mental health problems.
• Some long-term prisoners are still required to share cells. This is generating anger.
• The way in which medication is dispensed in the residential areas continues to be unsatisfactory.

HMP & YOI Perth

Follow up inspection 5-6 December 2006

• The prison is currently undergoing major building work. This has led to reduced accommodation capacity and constant movement within and out of the prison. All of this has been very well managed.
• Friarton Hall is now a Young Offenders' Institution. The change has been well managed: the young adults and staff are very positive about the development.
• There is an excellent new prisoner activities area, laundry and kitchen.
• The food has improved significantly.
• Prisoners feel safe and there has been a reduction in violence.
• Some remand prisoners are allowed to work and can gain qualifications.
• Most prisoners have to share a cell and the conditions in 'E' Hall are poor.

HMP Shotts

Full inspection 12-16 February 2007

• There have been no escapes in the past year.
• The prison is safer and calmer than it has been for many years.
• Relationships between staff and prisoners are good.
• Arrangements for maintaining contact with families are very good.
• Early evidence of the operation of Integrated Case Management is encouraging.
• Unscreened toilets in cells detract from living conditions which are otherwise decent.
• Education is good but access is limited.
• There are very few training opportunities in the workshops.
• Some prisoners are delayed in their progression towards a top-end or open conditions as a result of the numbers requiring to participate in the Violence Prevention Programme.
• The triage system to see the doctor creates problems for prisoners and staff.
• Arrangements for suicide risk management are inadequate.

HMP Greenock

Follow up inspection 6-7 March 2007

• There have been no escapes in the past year.
• The prison suffers from high overcrowding, as a result of which prisoners in 'A' Hall spend too much time locked in their cells.
• Despite high overcrowding, a good standard of food, staff and prisoner relationships, and family contact has been maintained.
• The high overcrowding and rapid turnover of prisoners makes it almost impossible to maintain an acceptable standard of furniture and decoration.
• Toilets in cells, including cells in which prisoners are sharing, are not enclosed.
• The arrangements for health care have improved significantly.

HMP & YOI Cornton Vale

Follow up inspection 19-20 March 2007

• There had been no escapes since the last inspection.
• The physical and mental health of most women entering Cornton Vale is very poor.
• Prisoner numbers continue to rise, and a fire in one of the residential areas has put even more strain on facilities.
• As a result of the electronic locking system, it could be possible for a woman to have to wait for an hour before being given access to the toilet.
• There is a lack of purposeful activity for prisoners on remand.
• The closure of accommodation for women in other prisons means that some women have very long journeys for court appearances.
• The unacceptable practice of handcuffing all women under escort, regardless of level of risk posed by the individual or the location, continues.

Other Reports

The Conditions and Treatment of Prisoners Under Escort

Inspection June - October 2006

• The logistics of escorting prisoners around Scotland is complex, and has grown considerably since the Reliance Custodial Service contract commenced. The overwhelming majority of escorts are managed without incident or difficulty of any kind.
• The relationship between RCS staff and prisoners and the general approach of RCS staff is positive and constructive.
• Prisoners feel safe from staff and other prisoners in vans.
• At a small number of courts, it appears difficult, with the current layout and operational arrangements, to guarantee the safety of prisoners and staff when moving into and through the court building.
• The lack of risk assessment and other documentation at some courts means that staff who are unused to that particular court cannot immediately access information they may require.
• The information contained in prisoners' Personal Escort Records is inconsistent and inadequate to facilitate the management of prisoners with additional needs, or who pose risks to themselves or others.
• The conditions under which prisoners are kept in court cells are very variable, with some being extremely poor. Cleanliness is an issue in a significant number of courts. There are also a range of issues with toilet arrangements across a wide range of courts.
• The management of new prisoners is not consistent, and does little to identify any needs they may have, or any risks they may pose. There is a lack of information for new prisoners on basic issues such as prison reception procedures and visiting.
• Delays in the escorting process appear endemic, and have wide ranging consequences.
• Some children are being delivered to prison late at night when it is difficult for staff to adequately address their needs. Some who are destined for social work facilities are being required to spend a night in prison because they cannot reach their intended destination.

Standards Used in the Inspection of Prisons in Scotland

Published August 2006

• The standards used in the inspection of prisons in Scotland represent a significant step towards the demonstration of consistency and transparency.
• Scotland is very unusual in having independent inspection of prisons. Many other countries have no system of prison inspection: of those that do, inspection is usually carried out by prison officials or by judges. In Scotland, the Chief Inspector is independent of the Scottish Prison Service and of the Scottish Executive.
• These standards reflect the independence of the inspection of prisons in Scotland. They have been developed from the actual practice of such inspecting. While the basis for these standards is rooted in international human rights treaties and conventions and in prison rules, they are our own standards.
• The publication of these standards is designed to enable prisoners and prison staff to understand the main areas to be examined in the course of an inspection and what would be expected in each area; and to provide assurance to Ministers and the public that inspection is being carried out within a consistent framework and that measurements are being made against appropriate standards.