ANNUAL REPORT 1995-96

To the Right Honourable Michael Forsyth MP

Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Scotland

Sir

I have the honour to submit the fifteenth Annual Report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland.

I have the honour to be Sir

Your Obedient Servant

C B FAIRWEATHER OBE

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland

Report for 1995-96

FOREWORD BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE

The Annual Report for 1995-96 of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons is welcome.

Imprisonment protects the public from dangerous, violent and persistent offenders. I welcome the acknowledgement that the Scottish Prison Service continued to discharge its custodial responsibilities effectively, as well as completing another year without major disturbances among a volatile population. I also welcome the progress that the report reflects across a range of initiatives to help prisoners address their offending behaviour.

I agree with the Chief Inspector’s comments on the importance of relevant, better-paid work for prisoners. I have asked the Scottish Prison Service to set up a pilot project this year bringing a private sector employer into prison to provide work. Private sector involvement will give scope for prisoners to earn more economic wages and to gain work experience. The provisions in the Prisoner Earnings Bill will allow arrangements to be made to require prisoners, as they should, to make contributions towards victim support and crime prevention measures, towards the upkeep of their dependants, towards savings and towards offsetting the cost of their keep while in prison.

I share the Chief Inspector’s emphasis on the importance of well designed, effectively evaluated programmes to address offending behaviour. Work is underway, through, for example, the introduction of the cognitive skills programme in all prisons to help prisoners develop the strategies needed to break the cycle of persistent re-offending, and I have set new targets for the Service in that regard. More can be done, however, and the Service is undertaking work on programme accreditation and the systematic assessment of the impact and effectiveness of prisoner programmes. This will improve co-ordination.

The Chief Inspector’s endorsement of "Scotland Against Drugs" is of particular significance. Mandatory random drug testing began in 2 establishments earlier this year. It is planned to introduce it in all prisons on a phased basis over the next 8 months. The Chief Inspector expresses concern that MDT might be implemented at the expense of drug counselling work. The Scottish Prison Service is fully aware of the need to support those seeking to recover from addiction, and establishments will continue to develop appropriate support programmes to assist those prisoners with drug problems. Besides drug education and counselling there are drug treatment programmes in 7 prisons, with more planned, and a new abstinence unit was opened at Low Moss Prison in June.

I am concerned at the number of suicides in prisons, even though there was a reduction compared with the previous year. There are no easy answers, but the Scottish Prison Service is currently reviewing its strategy in the light of external research commissioned to consider its effectiveness.

I pay tribute once again to the continuing dedication of Governors, prison officers and other staff of the Scottish Prison Service. They perform a vital task, and deserve thanks for what they do.

The Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service will respond direct to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons on the detailed points of note.