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STATEMENT OF
CHARTER STANDARDS |
| Scottish Prison Service |
The Mission
Statement of the Scottish Prison Service is To keep in custody those committed by
the courts; To maintain good order in each prison; To care for prisoners with humanity;
and To provide prisoners with an appropriate range of opportunities to exercise personal
responsibility and to prepare for release |
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We will fulfil
our Mission Statement by operating in ways which comply with the Citizen's Charter |
| CHARTER PRINCIPLES |
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Publication of
standards of service and performance against the standards |
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Statements of
Charter Standards for the SPS have been published for prisoners and for visitors to
prisons. |
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We publish annual
targets in our annual Corporate Plan, and publish in our Annual Report the level of
performance actually achieved. Performance measures and targets are directly related to
our Mission Statement and include measures of custody, good order, care and provision for
opportunities as well as providing value for money. |
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Revised Prison
Rules, setting out the minimum rights and responsibility of the Service and or prisoners,
will be laid before Parliament early in 1994. |
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Taking the view
of those who use the Service into account in setting standards |
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The Scottish Prison
Service sought in 199091 the views of all prisoners and staff about the way in which the
Service operated and what they thought were the most important issues for the future. The
results were published in March 1992 and have been used to inform our planning and the
statements of Charter Standards. A further survey is now underway. |
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We will continue to
consult the user of our services, and take into account such views in forward planning. We
will do this by surveys of the views of prisoners and staff and periodic surveys of
visitors to prisons. |
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Many prisons have
already developed local information leaflets for prisoners and for prisoners' families. A
new information pack for all prisoners will be issued shortly in the light of revised
prison rules. |
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Video recordings
have been made showing the facilities in each of the long term prisons. |
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Each long term
prisoner is assigned a Personal Officer, with whom he or she may plan how best to serve
his or her sentence in the light of the facilities on offer. The prisoner receives a
sentence planning file to use throughout the time in prison. |
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Courteous and
efficient customer service |
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All SPS staff wear
name badges, subject to certain limited exceptions for safety reasons, and are prepared to
identify themselves by name. |
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We aim to respond to
all correspondence within 20 working days of receipt, and sooner if possible. |
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Well sign-posted
avenues of complaint, with some means of independent review wherever possible |
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The SPS is committed
to delivering a high standard of service. We accept that from time to time things may go
wrong and will respond quickly to put things right. We are introducing in February 1994 an
accessible system to ensure that prisoners' requests and complaints are considered
quickly, and reasoned written replies are given by those best placed to resolve the
difficulties, with monitored timescales. |
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Outwith the Service,
prisoners may also pursue complaints with:
- Visiting Committee members;
- Members of Parliament;
- the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration; and
- the European Commission of Human Rights.
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Independent
validation of performance against standards and a clear commitment to improve value for
money |
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Her Majesty's Chief
Inspector of Prisons is an independent layman appointed from outside the Service. The
Inspectorate carries out a full inspection of each prison in Scotland every 3½ years.
Reports are published. Additionally there are short annual inspections of all prisons not
being fully inspected. A lay Visiting Committee is appointed to each prison to bring to
the attention of the Secretary of State for Scotland any matter concerning the
administration of the prison. |
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The SPS is subject
to an external audit by the National Audit Office. |
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The SPS publishes
its annual accounts, comparing actual peformance against the targets set by the Secretary
of State for Scotland. |
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VALUES OF THE
SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE Integrity, Frankness and honesty in dealing with
people; Fairness and justice, respecting the needs and rights of prisoners and
staff; Mutual support, encouraging teamwork and commitment; Caring for the
safety and well-being of prisoners and staff; Openness about our aspirations, our
successes and our failures, coupled with the willingness to learn. |
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The Scottish Prison
Service is committed to being an open and accountable service. Questions about the SPS are
welcome, and should be addressed to:
Head of Planning and Development Services,
SPS HQ,
Room 314,
Calton House,
5 Redheughs Rigg,
Edinburgh EH12 9HW
(Tel 0131 244 8770)
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December 1993 |
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| Web version
prepared by Scottish Office Library and Information Services, February 1998 |