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| HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland |
| Annual Report 1994-95 |
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| HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland |
| Annual Report 1994-95 |
| REGIMES |
| Reception |
| 5.1 Reception areas are of the greatest significance, given that they are the very first location that any offender or remand encounters; thus the tone of the prison is often set here. It was therefore pleasing to see the improvements which were made by the SPS in this area and which have continued in 1994-95. Whilst there had been a refurbishment programme in a number of Reception areas, we are particularly pleased to record that a temporary facility has now been made available at HMP Edinburgh. This will shortly allow for a much better and permanent Reception area, its predecessor having been criticised heavily by the Inspectorate in 1993 (as had the Reception area at HMP Barlinnie, which was much improved in the same year). |
| 5.2 Over the years we have also noted an encouraging change in attitude by staff towards admissions in many establishments; this has become much more positive and understanding, despite the increased work-load which is involved in the processing of a large number of individuals. |
| Induction/Sentence Planning |
| 5.3 All long-term prisoners are now encouraged to take part in Local Induction and Sentence Planning Programmes. This gives the prisoner, subject to Security Category, an opportunity to state a preference for the long-term prison in which he would prefer to serve his sentence. In practice, this means that the majority of prisoners invariably ask to serve their sentence close to home: for example Perth Prison caters for prisoners who come mainly from the North. Whilst location is important, prisoner opportunities are equally important: thus the final allocation must be agreed by the SPS. Overcrowding and other factors also mean that the SPS cannot always meet prisoners’ wishes. |
| 5.4 Most establishments also now have their own Induction programme which is intended to give the prisoner an insight into the opportunities which are available in that particular establishment and how advantage can be taken of them. We nevertheless feel that this area is still in its infancy: we understand it is being re-invigorated, which we very much welcome. |
| Personal Officers |
| 5.5 As part of the dialogue described above, each prisoner is also allocated a Personal Officer. His or her responsibility is then to help with problems and to discuss the way forward. Where necessary this nominated Prison Officer intimates when issues are not going well and ways in which the prisoner can improve the situation. Nevertheless, we believe that the Personal Officer system could still be improved; training for it is not always well done and some staff and prisoners were critical of its current effectiveness. Nor has it yet been introduced for short term prisoners. |
| Offending Behaviour Programmes |
| 5.6 The former prison objectives of ‘treatment and training’ are now recognised to be outmoded. Thus in the past few years the SPS has been turning its attention beyond custody, care and control towards ‘opportunity and responsibility’. This approach requires mutual responsibilities of the prisoner and the SPS and is designed to ensure that the long-term prisoner is encouraged to address his or her offending behaviour, whilst at the same time being offered an appropriate range of opportunities to use the time in prison responsibly for personal development. |
| 5.7 Personal Officers are thus now adopting additional roles, which question and challenge the prisoner about his/her previously offending behaviour - and their behaviour in prison. However, it is accepted that prisoners cannot spend all the time on this subject: thus it is also very important to make sure that the timing of any programme is at the most appropriate stage of sentence. |
| 5.8 Special needs in this area include Alcohol Awareness, Anger Management, Drug Addiction (eg the HMP Edinburgh Drug Reduction Programme) and the Sex Offender Treatment (STOP) at HMP Peterhead, where research is showing that some types of sex offenders can and do respond successfully. Cognitive Skills are also being included in these programmes and staff awareness sessions began towards the end of March 1995, under the direction of experts from the Correctional Service of Canada. Initially these were for the Shotts and Peterhead Units, Peterhead, Perth and the National Induction Centre (Shotts). Programmes for other locations will follow later, as will a course which is designed to qualify instructors. |
| Routines |
| 5.9 Prison routines have tended to be dictated by staff shift patterns in the past. However, we have been encouraged to note an increasing awareness of the needs of prisoners and their visitors when determining routines. Examples of this change have been observed in some adjustments to meal times and visit sessions. Nevertheless, the later the tea meal is served the better: in some establishments this can be at 1600 hours or earlier, leading to a 15 hour gap between main meals. |
| Clothing |
| 5.10 The impact of the new Prison Rules has recently been evident in improved clothing provision. Efforts to issue items on a personal basis are now being made, with the Rules also stipulating that socks and underwear should be changed on a daily basis wherever possible. Nevertheless, it is salutary to note that the sheer volume of prisoners passing through our jails and laundry facilities are such that most short-term prisoners or remands cannot get a personal issue of underclothing. |
| Employment |
| 5.11 A good prison is one where prisoners have plenty to do and are not idling for long periods of the day. Thus work is one of the most fundamental components of any regime; however, it has to be work with a purpose, not ‘the treadmill’. Here the SPS always makes strenuous efforts to provide meaningful work for fluctuating numbers of prisoners, but is not always successful - other pressures such as local and national commercial interests often intervene. Some of the work facilities we saw last year were good - such as at HMP Low Moss and HMP Shotts; availability and standards at others were acceptable, but at some, most notably at HMPs Aberdeen, Friarton and Barlinnie, there was just not enough for everyone to do, despite attempts by management to provide solutions. Another criticism voiced by many was that work tended to be repetitive or was over-orientated towards the unskilled. Some also felt that the changing patterns of employment in society as a whole were not being fully recognised. |
| 5.12 A future solution to the problems of insufficient work and commercial pressures may be observed in the timetable approach which HMP Shotts has adopted. The working week has been split into 20 sessions, with prisoners being required to work for a certain number of sessions (not less than 12) and attend education and other programmes for the remainder. |
| 5.13 We also repeat views which we have made before about Appropriations-in-Aid. We consider that the present system stifles productivity, gives no incentive to Industrial staff to improve production or to use their initiative, or for Governors to ensure that targets and quality standards are met. We consider it should be abolished, especially as business practices are burgeoning in the SPS which also is now an Agency. |
| 5.14 Current Vocational Training (VT) courses also need reviewing to see if they are appropriate to future trends and needs. There are also concerns about where such opportunities should come in any sentence. For example, some courses - such as catering or landscaping - are better put into effect in the first quarter of any sentence. This enables the prisoner to put his or her training to use within prison establishments and gives the SPS some benefits as well. Others might be better later or closer to release; however, all such training must not be considered in isolation and should be geared to the needs of outside industry. Here the experience of Agencies such as APEX (Scotland) are also invaluable. |
| Community Outplacements |
| 5.15 An average daily number of 150 Category ‘D’ prisoners were working outside prisons in 1994-95. Individuals who qualified, and were considered suitable, for these jobs were either at Open prisons (HMPs Penninghame, Dungavel, Noranside) or were in TFF hostels. The range of work on offer was impressive. At one end of the scale, prisoners could be found employed in relatively unskilled tasks in Hospitals or Old Peoples Homes: others worked closely with disabled children, whilst others were employed in printing or joinery. Some were employed in shops in towns, others were on farms or in Colleges. |
| 5.16 Those employers whom we met in the course of the year seemed well satisfied with arrangements. Payment varied according to task, but in turn the former could generally rely on the prisoners’ daily appearance and willingness to work. Employers also felt that they were putting “something back into society” via these individuals. There were occasional problems, but invariably there was a Liaison Officer at each establishment on hand to iron them out (and whom we commend for their sterling efforts). |
| 5.17 Prisoners derived equal benefit, especially in terms of self esteem, sense of purpose and progress towards release and eventual rehabilitation. They were also much envied by those who had to remain in prison worksheds. |
| 5.18 Most Health and Safety at work considerations had been addressed, thanks to a great deal of recent work by the SPS. However, some limitations were also encountered; for example there was insufficient transport at some establishments for getting individuals to work (although public transport was frequently used by some TFF prisoners), or there were insufficient outplacements available or they were only seasonal. |
| 5.19 We commend these various schemes as a very major step towards establishing a sense of purpose and progression to those prisoners who have reached the appropriate stage in their sentence. Community Outplacements represent a very imaginative step, both by the SPS and by those members of the public who are willing to employ them. Admittedly an element of risk is involved, but all that we have seen continues to indicate that sensible precautions are taken. |
| 5.20 Finally, the TFF hostel at HM Institution Cornton Vale is relatively limited: we therefore welcome the possibility of female prisoners using the TFF hostel at Polmont. |
| Pay |
| 5.21 Prisoners currently earn between £4-£9 per week, depending on their age or prison job. However, we came across many examples of inconsistency in pay during the course of our inspections last year. There were differences between prisons and age groups which we ourselves found it difficult to reconcile. Thus we welcome the fact that a separate SPS review of pay is underway, although we hope that it receives the appropriate degree of urgency attached to it - these inconsistencies have been apparent for years. We also hope that any new system will require prisoners to put aside a percentage of their earnings. Alternatively the SPS could give prisoners a lump sum on release, dependant on their length of sentence and response to work during it; this money would come from the wage-earning budget. |
| 5.22 Meanwhile we recognise that there have been national pressures to pay wages which are comparable to industrial levels in the general community. Discussion of this subject often refers to whether prisoners “would be required to contribute a proportion of the money they earn, towards the costs of keeping them in prison” - or “making some form of financial reparation to their victims”. Those concerned with penal reform also argue that if prisoners had more money they would be better placed to re-integrate with the community and also assist their families (ie an incentive towards a reduction in recidivism). |
| 5.23 This is a complex area, with no easy answers to it. For example, we are not sure that the corresponding quality of labour to attract higher levels of pay could always be guaranteed. Given current commercial pressures, we also doubt whether work of such a high standard could be found or, if it was, that it would be sufficiently consistent. Equally, we submit that present low rates of pay can lead to a number of related problems - such as the temptation to become involved in drug dealing; or bullying and taxing; or families being pressurised to bring in extra articles for prisoners, such as items of clothing, trainers, etc. Thus, as argued at the start of this section, a review is long overdue. |
| Physical Education (PE) and Recreation |
| 5.24 Some establishments are better equipped than others; for example with basic gymnasia or football pitches. Many suffer from lack of space, although we are pleased to see that a new gym is being built at HMP Aberdeen, together with an all weather sports area. At HMYOI Polmont, however, YOs should be encouraged to take part in daily sport, as it is not a statutory requirement for YOs to receive daily exercise. Equally Polmont is lucky enough to have its own swimming pool and is the only establishment in Scotland to have one. |
| 5.25 We also recognise that PE has a useful part to play in a more structured daily programme of work and education. We argue that not only does this have important effects inside prison but that it can also carry on improvements in self esteem when the individual returns to the community. Thus it is important to teach and coach prisoners in sports which are available in their home locality. |
| 5.26 However, regardless of the facilities it is important that they are available to prisoners not only during the week but also at weekends. We believe that much more could be done here. For example, and as stated elsewhere, boredom could be a very major factor behind drug abuse. Games against other community teams are also to be strongly encouraged. |
| 5.27 Most prisoners have the opportunity for daily recreation; mainly snooker, table tennis or TV. Some establishments have designated recreation rooms, such as Barlinnie and Perth, others such as Edinburgh and Aberdeen are required to use the ground floor of their accommodation halls due to lack of space. |
| 5.28 Most prisoners had access to some sort of library although we often found that opening times were restricted. This requires improvement. |
| Visits |
| 5.29 The 1994 Second Prison Survey highlighted the importance which prisoners placed on visits or home leaves. Nevertheless, our inspections revealed considerable variations in the standard of visits offered and the conditions found in visit rooms. Some establishments had opted for the quality of visits, others the quantity. Some rooms were fresh and airy, for example at HMP Noranside, whilst the cramped area provided at HMP Barlinnie was most depressing: plans are in hand to refurbish the latter, and not before time. Attempts to provide the appropriate range of visits for women had also been made at HM Institution Cornton Vale (including children and family bonding visits which are more appropriate to female prisoners - although the changing nature of parenting in the community might eventually alter this). |
| 5.30 Meanwhile those visiting some remand prisoners faced the most daunting of bus journeys from Glasgow into the foothills beyond Airdrie, where HM Remand Institution Longriggend is situated. |
| 5.31 Some establishments had opted for no smoking policies in their visit rooms; others were smoky and grubby. Some rooms felt oppressive (with staff standing very close, as if to overhear conversations), while others relied on security cameras. Other establishments concentrated on strip-searching of prisoners after visits, while some concentrated more on watching visitors. A few establishments had installed piped music: many, but not all, had children’s facilities or vending machines or snacks provided by the WRVS. At HMP Dungavel prisoners could order meals for their visitors from the prison kitchen, then share them at their leisure in the visit room: although this is not applicable at all locations, we liked the refreshing flexibility of attitude which this indicated, and of which much more is required. |
| 5.32 Our 1995-96 Thematic Study is being conducted into the subject of ‘Prison Visits’ and we already conclude that there could be many relatively inexpensive but important improvements to be made at all establishments (and, most crucially of all, to change staff perceptions). Some provisional ideas are already beginning to emerge. Firstly, we believe that much has to be done about informing relatives over initial arrangements; some prisons are very good at this, others do the absolute minimum. We are also forming an impression that the scale of alleged drug smuggling by visitors could be exaggerated, although there is no doubt that it is a major route but one that is always easier to seize upon. The idea of Visitors Centres also merits greater examination. Several English prisons have buildings outside the perimeter, run by volunteers or on a commercial basis; thus the service is improved at the same time as some of the burden is lifted from the Prison Service. However, we understand that their funding arrangements are very different. Perth prison currently has such a scheme being run by the Hope Group and SACRO. |
| 5.33 Finally, we believe that much more still has to be done to provide visit arrangements which suit prisoners and their families and not just the routine of the prison. We also obtain an impression from some members of staff that “if visits became too frequent or for too long, then the whole ethos of imprisonment could be insidiously called into question”. However, the first bleak fact of imprisonment is that criminals are separated from their families. This may well be their own fault; equally it causes untold damage at the time and later - damage which is also expensive for society to repair, on top of the costs of imprisonment. The Inspectorate’s understanding here is that, like many aspects of prison life, it is all a question of balance; however, we believe that visits could still be much improved without affecting the basic essence of imprisonment. Scotland is also some way behind what is now on offer in some European countries and, even with improved visit arrangements, there will still be many long, lonely hours for prisoners to reflect on their misdemeanours. It could even be argued that more frequent visits, or better quality ones, are further reminders of the latter. Family pressure, when combined with opportunity and responsibility agendas, could offer a twin approach towards the reduction of recidivism. This is already recognised, but we think that the mixture could still be improved - especially for the medium sentence prisoner. Considerations of humanity also impinge, especially for very long term prisoners (irrespective of the crimes they may or may not have inflicted on other families). Meanwhile we commend the SPS for its introduction of Family Contact Development Officers (FCDOs) at each of our prisons: they are ahead of the English Service here. |
| Community Relations |
| 5.34 The majority of establishments had an appointed Community Liaison Officer to ensure that prisons were not isolated from the community. This aspect has become even more important ever since the selling off of staff quarters, together with the increasing speed and power of the modern media. The scope for community relations is seemingly endless, although in practice subject to budgetary considerations. We found that local prison management had found a variety of ways to integrate with the public. For example, several establishments welcome members of the public as models for VT hair-dressing classes (thus some pensioners get a free and regular hair-do!). At Cairn Toul, volunteer prisoners from HMP Noranside had been involved in the restoration of one of Scotland’s best known mountain bothies. Others elsewhere were involved with Riding for the Disabled projects or the Royal National Institute for the Blind. A Mark 2 Spitfire was being restored by YOs at HMYOI Polmont: the same establishment also offered its swimming pool to local schools. |
| 5.35 Chaplains are also amongst those most closely involved with community relations, as are the FCDOs, together with the Hope Group and others (see Annex 6). Community outplacements are also a very good example of community relations, including one example encountered during the year where an employer admitted that he would have “gone under” had it not been for the assistance given by one particular prison and its outworkers. |
| 5.36 Relations with the media also fall under this heading and relations appear to be relatively productive here, especially at local level. It was also heartening to note that a number of Media Relations Courses had been run for Governors I/C during 1994-95: this area is no longer solely handled by SPS HQ, as part of a deliberate policy of empowerment. Nevertheless, we were disappointed sometimes to find the more sensational images of prison circulating in the national media (albeit that they often applied to English jails). Equally, the media are catering for public tastes, which brings us back to one of the original reasons for community relations in the first place. This is that the individual prisoner must not be segregated to the extent that contact is lost with the society that he or she has wronged, and is returning to. Yet many members of the public either do not know, or do not want to know, what is going on in our prisons, other than the fact that "criminals are safely locked away" - and preferably in punitive conditions: or they only wish to read about the more sensational aspects. Much more education is required here. Arguably one of the purposes of this Report is to assist this process. Too often we also see the SPS apparently taking on so many of the Communities’ most fundamental problems, almost single-handedly, without the public being properly aware of what is being done in their name. Community relations and the media are the future means to correct these balances; they require much deeper study which we could well return to in a future Thematic Study. In general, prisons needed to project outwards much more. In turn the media needs to get ‘inside’, on a gradual and careful basis, bearing in mind that security is always paramount. |
| 5.37 Finally, we commend the policy of openness which is now developing at an impressive pace in the SPS. |