Report on HM Prison Noranside

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland 1998

2. ESTABLISHMENT AND POPULATION

Establishment

2.1 Noranside houses mainly long term prisoners (LTPs) in open conditions, a role which it first adopted in 1987. Two other SPS establishments operate similar regimes; HMP Penninghame, which is at Newton Stewart, also accommodates LTPs, mainly from the south and west of the country, whilst Castle Huntly, which is near Dundee, provides for prisoners who are serving relatively short sentences.

2.2 The establishment is located nine miles north of Forfar and includes 253 acres of forestry and rural countryside. Formerly a sanatorium, the site became part of the SPS estate in 1963 and prior to becoming an adult prison, was initially used as a Borstal Institution and then as a Young Offenders Institution.

2.3 Until recently, the majority of Noranside’s prisoners had been LTPs who were nearing the end of their sentence but in an effort to increase cost efficiency and to maximise the opportunity for rehabilitation, the SPS had re-adjusted the criteria for admission. It now also takes adult male offenders serving sentences of over two years who have at least nine months still to serve, with priority being given to accommodating prisoners from the North and East of Scotland. The establishment can also hold up to a maximum of ten life sentence prisoners, provided they have been assessed as suitable to serve the latter part of their sentence in open conditions. It is the only open prison which houses sex offenders though their employment is strictly limited to the grounds of the estate. At the time of signature of this report, the total population was 105. Currently, the average stay for a prisoner is 6 months.

Population

2.4 The present capacity is for 135 places though the population had frequently fallen below that figure in recent years as the following table demonstrates:-

Under capacity means that the annual average unit cost per prisoner is in excess of £23K, though this would fall to £18K if all places were taken up. This compares with the SPS annual average cost per prisoner place of nearly £28K.

2.5 At lock-up on the first full day of our inspection (Tuesday 29 September 1998) the population was 109, accommodated as follows:-

2.6 All prisoners were security category ‘D’ and a breakdown of the sentences being served was:-