Report on HM Prison Noranside

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland 1998

5. ACCOMMODATION AND ROUTINES

Accommodation

5.1 There were six accommodation areas, including Cameron House which was empty at the time of our inspection. All cells had electric power, prisoners had keys to their rooms and access to night sanitation.

5.2 ‘A’ Wing, which had been designated a no smoking area, contained 20 rooms at ground level, of which seven were equipped for double occupancy. The Wing had recently been redecorated to a high standard and each cell had been adequately furnished with good quality wardrobe and drawer units. Separate items of furniture were provided for each prisoner in the double cells, which also contained lockable metal wall-mounted cabinets for the storage of personal items. As part of the refurbishment programme, all cells had been fitted with pin boards.

5.3 Whilst adequate for their purpose, the toilet/shower/washing area was old and in need of upgrading. In addition, access to the television room was through the toilet area, which was not ideal. We understand, however, that a project to refurbish the area is to be included in the next Strategic Plan.

5.4 All prisoners had access to appropriate facilities, including a telephone and hot water urn.

5.5 ‘B’ Wing was of similar design but contained a total of 26 rooms, of which 12 were for double occupancy; all rooms were furnished to the same high standard as those in ‘A’ Wing. There was a toilet/shower area and a small Annex which contained five cells and an additional ablutions area. The Wing also had two card telephones, television room, washing machine and other ancillaries.

5.6 Comments about one aspect of fire safety within the Wing are discussed in more detail at paragraph 7.21.

5.7 ‘C’ Wing was the lower flat of a two storey building and contained a total of 22 single rooms. The upper floor of that building was designated as ‘D’ Wing and had accommodation for 18 prisoners in single rooms. The cells in both these Wings were smaller than those in ‘A’ and ‘B’ but were furnished to a similar standard.

5.8 There was a card telephone in each Wing and a communal television room located in ‘D’ Wing. Each area had its own toilet/shower facilities but these were also in need of upgrading and modernisation.

5.9 Alba House was situated some distance from the main accommodation blocks and was regarded as being at the ‘top end’ of the establishment. There was a published list of criteria (see Annex 2) which prisoners had to satisfy before they could apply to move there; a points system determined final selection.

5.10 This area could accommodate 23 prisoners in single rooms, all of which contained built in units and wash-hand basins. Additionally there was a small kitchen which included a washing machine and tumble dryer. Toilet/shower facilities were adequate but in need of modernisation.

5.11 Cameron House was located some distance from the main accommodation and contained seven single rooms. Previously it had been used as a Training for Freedom hostel but was not in use at the time of this latest inspection.

Comment

5.12 We were most impressed with the quality of the accommodation throughout the establishment and it was clear that high standards of cleanliness were being maintained. Our only concerns relate to the ablutions areas which were functional but in need of upgrading; we therefore recommend that there should be a refurbishment and upgrading of the toilet areas in all the accommodation blocks (except Cameron House).

5.13 In some parts of the establishment there were rooms with bars on the outside of the windows which, in our opinion, is unnecessary in an open prison.

Routines

5.14 Outline routines are shown below; details of the daily routine for both weekdays and weekends are contained at Annex 3.

5.15 On arrival at the establishment, each prisoner was provided with a set of working clothes and footwear which they were required to wear when they were at work. They were also offered a set of prison clothing, though the majority opted to wear their own clothing during the recreation periods. Kit changes were available on a weekly basis in addition to which, prisoners could wash their own clothes either by making use of the washing machines at various locations throughout the establishment or by sending their clothes to the small centralised laundry facility in ‘A’ Wing. There was a problem, however, about the adequacy of the drying facilities and we suggest that this should be addressed, for example either through the provision of additional tumble dryers or by providing sufficient drying facilities in the new centralised laundry facility, plans for which were currently being prepared - further details about these proposals are at paragraph 7.9. All prison issue items, such as sheets, towels and working clothes, were sent to HMP Perth for laundering.

5.16 Being security category ‘D’, all prisoners were entitled to participate in the Home Leave Scheme and were eligible after they had completed one third of their sentence and had been in that security category for at least six weeks. Following a costing exercise, it had been decided that it was cheaper for the prison to buy a bus to take the prisoners to their home areas on a Saturday morning and collect them again on Sunday evening. For that reason, the home leaves were split into four groups on a geographical basis - two Glasgow, one Edinburgh and one Aberdeen. In addition to the Home Leave Scheme, prisoners could also have day paroles in Dundee once every four weeks.

5.17 We were satisfied with prisoners’ access to showering facilities and telephones and the nature of the establishment meant that there were plenty of opportunities for exercise and to spend time in the open air. Similarly, there was no problem about the amount of access to recreation facilities though to a certain extent, we shared prisoners’ concerns about the adequacy of those facilities. As noted above, each accommodation area had its own television room each of which contained a video player, the videos being provided at the prisoners’ expense and checked by staff before the prisoners were allowed to watch them. With the exception of one area, all these rooms also had access to satellite television channels and again, subscriptions were paid from the prisoners’ fund. The only other facilities were a snooker table in Alba House and a snooker and two pool tables, table tennis and a dart board in the central recreation room. In theory, prisoners also had access to the gymnasium facilities during recreation periods but in reality, this was a very ad hoc arrangement because of the PE staffing situation - see paragraphs 6.36-41. In our opinion, the recreation facilities on offer were lacking in imagination and we suggest that there should be a review of the facilities on offer with the aim of extending their provision to bring them more into line with what might reasonably be expected in an open establishment. This could include providing such additional items as computer games or table top football, mountain bikes to enable prisoners to go for rides outwith the establishment and the re-instatement of hillwalking and fishing expeditions at weekends for small groups of prisoners.

Comment

5.18 In overall terms, we were satisfied with the routine to which the prisoners were expected to adhere and one of its great advantages was that it was well ordered and everyone was clear as to what was expected of them. As noted above, our concerns relate to some of the actual facilities and we believe that the suggestions that we have made would not cost a great deal in financial terms but could go a considerable way to improving the overall quality of life and bringing it more into line with what we regard as being appropriate to that of an open establishment.