12. Visiting Committee

12.1 We met with the Chairman and Secretary of the Visiting Committee (VC) which was now 25 strong. The Committee had been meeting regularly on at least a quarterly basis and had devised a rota which ensured that at least one member was making a visit to the prison each week. Those visits included regular inspections of the Halls, recreation areas, worksheds, Health Centre and the Education Unit. Food was also being sampled and complaints by prisoners were being recorded in the request book as required (though we found that some of the comments tended to be on the cursory side).

12.2 The main issues raised by Committee representatives included the following:

12.2.1 Relationships with the Governor, his Deputy and staff in general were good; the Committee representatives felt that they were being kept abreast of major issues, including the Strategic Plan for the establishment.

12.2.2 Staff/prisoner relationships were said to be good and there was a relaxed atmosphere in the prison - despite some of the strict control measures which were in operation.

12.2.3 Catering standards had improved recently; however, the delivery trays were unsatisfactory, with far too many meals arriving cold at their destination.

12.2.4 There had been many commendable improvements to health care arrangements in recent months.

12.2.5 They were impressed with the arrangements for random MDT.

12.2.6 The Committee was delighted to see that the major refurbishment programme for the Halls had finally got under way.

12.2.7 They were complimentary about the standards found in the temporary accommodation block - Letham Hall. They were also looking forward to the new Visits area coming into operation, that having previously been one of the most negative aspects of the prison’s regime.

12.2.8 The Committee was uneasy about the impact which overcrowding was continuing to have on staff and prisoners. They observed that only goodwill was enabling anything akin to normal life to continue in what were largely unacceptable conditions. Additionally, far too many LTPs were being held for lengthy periods, often in tedious and boring circumstances. A growing elderly population now also had to be taken into account.

12.2.9 Concerns were expressed about the growth in the numbers of those arriving with mental health problems. Additionally, there was a growing drugs culture in the community, bringing with it the threat of violence and gang warfare inside the prison. They were equally depressed by the high levels of suicide but stressed that outside pressures were mainly to blame. In the view of the Committee, staff were doing their best in trying circumstances.

12.2.10 There was a lack of sufficient workplaces though the quality of what was on offer was good.

12.2.11 The ongoing lack of a suitably sized gymnasium was a major deficiency which ought not to be tolerated at Scotland’s largest prison, more especially as proper facilities would help reduce boredom.

12.2.12 Remand prisoners were continuing to lead a dull and demeaning existence (though it was conceded that lately they had been receiving better recreation facilities).

12.2.13 The VC had had a number of concerns about the Segregation Unit, but were pleased that these had now been addressed. In particular, they welcomed the introduction of the CCTV cameras which, in addition to freeing up staff time, provided a safeguard for prisoners.