13. General Assessment

13.1 The previous formal inspection report of 1993 had recognised "the very involved in managing Scotland’s largest penal establishment, given its huge and fluctuating population and almost constant overcrowding."

13.2 Large numbers of untried and convicted prisoners had continued to pass through its gates (normally in batches of 150-200 after local Courts empty on a Monday), it being estimated that there had been in excess of 75,000 receptions since the last inspection, at a time when overcrowding levels had been mounting steadily. It is nothing short of a national disgrace that so many have had to endure the conditions resulting from the constant mismatch which has been created between the finite number of cells available and a burgeoning prison population which has been outwith SPS control. At the time of this latest visit the establishment was 51% over capacity, which is a most sobering figure - the more so when viewed in the context that Barlinnie accounts for over a fifth of Scotland’s penal population at any one time and that it acts as a transit site for many who are sent on to other prison establishments. We fully acknowledge the pressures that this has created for SPS Management and for hard-pressed staff, particularly those who are responsible for daily life on the landings, which are often teeming with noisy, though generally good humoured prisoners.

13.3 Such record figures are of course in keeping with a national trend, whilst the recent closure of the establishment’s ‘D’ Hall had also led to some reduction in design capacity, though extra spaces had been made available at a cost of £1 million following the construction of a temporary, but smaller, accommodation unit (Letham Hall). The refurbishment of ‘D’ Hall represents part of a £25 million investment which is designed to upgrade each of the prison’s five old and unsuitable accommodation areas. It is intended that one Hall will be closed at a time to enable contractors to work unhindered on the installation of basics such as integral sanitation in each cell - the first to be introduced in this Victorian establishment for over 115 years. The rolling programme is, however, scheduled to last five years or more, which means that the unhygienic and undignified practice of slopping out will still continue for some considerable time. More importantly, present levels of overcrowding also seem likely to prevail unless some additional compensating measures are set in motion soon.

13.4 A new 500 place prison at Bowhouse, Ayrshire is expected to provide some welcome relief when it opens towards the end of the century and it may improve the treatment of a number of prisoners on remand who are presently housed in fairly stark and demeaning conditions. Bearing in mind the undercapacity which is being endured at five other SPS establishments, it is unlikely that Bowhouse will be able entirely to solve Barlinnie’s problems. Consequently, the construction at some stage of an additional unit, in addition to Letham Hall, should not be ruled out. Equally, the erection of additional blocks in other Central Belt prisons may be essential to the management of LTPs leading in turn to a reduction in the number of such individuals being held in Barlinnie, which was not designed to cater for so many, or for such long periods. More bail beds, Supervised Attendance Orders and Community Service Orders in the Greater Glasgow area would also be of enormous help, given that the majority of those passing through Barlinnie are either on remand or serving short sentences.

13.5 In addition to the long-awaited refurbishment of the Halls, we welcome the development of a new visits area, the construction of which was visibly under way at the time of inspection. This will help restore human decency in an important and emotive area, whilst the upgraded staff facilities which are to be included in this complex are a tangible recognition that staff ought also to be treated with greater dignity.

13.6 We were pleased with the standard of accommodation in ‘A’, ‘E’ and Letham Halls, though conditions in ‘B’ and ‘C’ (which included remands) were found still to be unacceptable, particularly in relation to decoration and the provision of basic items of furniture.

13.7 Concerns about some relatively minor aspects of security have been expressed in a letter to the Governor and the Head of Custody in SPS Headquarters. However, given the large prisoner throughput and the comparative lack of incidents, we consider that staff have coped well with this most fundamental of issues. Separately, the level of minor assaults gave no room for complacency but so far as serious violence is concerned, the prison compares well at present with other establishments.

13.8 Contingency Plans were found to be of a high order and we were impressed with the establishment’s Fire Precautions; both are illustrated as examples of good practice to others.

13.9 Over the previous 42 months, there had been 15 deaths in custody. Two were attributable to natural causes, whilst the remainder, subject to the findings of Fatal Accident Inquiries, were due to suicides which had tended to occur mainly among remand prisoners. Such an unacceptably high number of tragedies may be due to a number of factors, not least the considerable prisoner throughput, though this factor should not absolve managers from refocusing on this aspect as necessary. However, many of the individuals who pass briefly through the prison are drug users or suffer from psychiatric complications and we question whether it is appropriate for the SPS to be wholly responsible for what are community based problems in a transient situation which is peculiar to Barlinnie - and probably more so than at any other Scottish prison. We therefore subscribe to the view that increased co-ordination and responsibility concerning prisoners’ mental health and drug misuse may have to be accepted by Local Authorities and other Agencies in the Greater Glasgow area. Medical and nursing arrangements had greatly improved in the Health Centre since the previous formal inspection (and even since our last unannounced visit) but whilst we were impressed with what we encountered, there is still room for a range of enhancements.

13.10 It was pleasing to note that the number of those taking part in education programmes had doubled, though this does not begin even to match the level of demand. Bearing in mind the connection between basic literacy, self-esteem and recidivism, we suggest that the capacity of the Education Unit could be greatly increased, though this would of course require more resources. Disappointingly, whilst the range and type of work available was generally held to be satisfactory, there were many short and long-term prisoners idling each day because there was not enough employment for them. Overcrowding had contributed to a situation whereby there was only enough work for approximately one third of prisoners to be occupied in the worksheds at any one time. The fact that many were therefore unable to repay their debt to society or learn new skills which might help them break free from crime - and instead were lounging about in corridors saying they were bored - is to say the least, a frustrating loss of a large and inexpensive source of ready manpower. We therefore suggest that Management looks toward some form of timetabling which involves work, education and other purposeful activities, so that resources can be more evenly spread across the population; it was noted, however, that Management was also looking to a number of private finance initiatives to improve their industrial output. Offending behaviour programmes - which were in relatively rudimentary form at the time of inspection - might also be included in future timetables.

13.11 Our main criticisms are reserved for a number of basic issues concerning the regime, starting with the Induction arrangements which were found to be of a relatively cursory nature. Catering had improved and food was more than acceptable when tested in the kitchen; nevertheless, the majority of meals were cold when they arrived in cells some distance away. Feeding so many prisoners is a huge and expensive operation but the consequences of an inadequate delivery system were that there were in the region of 25,000 individual disappointments per week when prisoners opened their meal tray. We were, therefore, relieved to hear that plans were in hand greatly to improve this aspect. Laundry arrangements were also unsatisfactory, which meant that there were prisoners who claimed that they were receiving a change of underwear no more than once per week. This is unacceptable, more especially when showering arrangements were often found to be inadequate. The lack of exercise in the fresh air was disturbing and we found the sight of prisoner groups being led round the corridors reprehensible. We were told that a shortage of staff (due to overcrowding) was the main reason for this, but nevertheless we sense that keeping so many individuals cooped up indoors for such long periods is unhealthy and stultifying, more especially in the warmer months; it also breaches statutory obligations. Luckily, despite these conditions, we were told that staff/prisoner relationships were generally cordial and we were able to confirm this by frequent observation. Nevertheless, we thought that some aspects of control - possibly a hangover from the riots of the 1980s - were over-rigid and possibly now outdated. We were also surprised at the relatively few cases which were being submitted to the Scottish Prisons Complaints Commission, this being either an indication of the accepting nature of Glaswegian prisoners or a lack of knowledge of the system - or possibly even both. Meanwhile, the SPS has acknowledged that PE arrangements are greatly under-resourced, though many prisoners said that what was on offer was nevertheless well managed.

13.12 We thought that the Management team was experienced and enthusiastic; communication had also greatly improved since our last inspection, despite the inevitable criticism which was received from staff. However, face-to-face dialogue will always be more beneficial at such a large and sprawling location and we noted with some concern that co-ordination appeared to be lacking in many fundamental areas. We were concerned, as was Management, at the lack of a suitably qualified postholder to fill the HR Manager’s post; this was one of the most serious staffing issues in the prison and must be resolved at the earliest opportunity.

13.13 A list of Recommendations and Points of Note is attached, though it should be noted that a letter which refers to a number of minor concerns has also been sent to the Governor. We offer the concluding remarks that we found that the prison was in transition, as the Governor had described. Major changes were being implemented via a number of innovative management systems, whilst a range of new rehabilitative programme activities was beginning to come together. However, we felt that some of the more basic obligations to prisoners were in danger of being subsumed by an over-concentration on the new management systems.