12. Visiting Committee

12.1 We met with the Chairman and Secretary of the VC which was 16 strong, its membership having now been equally split between Perth and Dundee Councils. The Committee had been meeting regularly and had also devised a rota which ensured that at least one member was making a visit to the prison each week; this included regular inspections of the Halls, recreation areas, worksheds, health centre and the Education Unit. Food was also being sampled and the investigation of complaints by prisoners was recorded in the request book as required.

12.2 Issues raised by the Committee representatives included the following:-

12.2.1 Their relationships with the Governor and with staff were positive.

12.2.2 Staff/prisoner relationships were also said to be good, with the atmosphere in the prison being described as reasonably relaxed.

12.2.3 Catering standards had improved greatly though portion control could still be better.

12.2.4 The education programme was realistic and well run.

12.2.5 Arrangements for PE/gymnasium were excellent.

12.2.6 Visiting arrangements seemed to be working well.

12.2.7 Canteen arrangements were more than satisfactory.

12.2.8 Fewer complaints were being received from prisoners, mainly because of the new grievance procedures.

12.2.9 The Committee was delighted to see that a major refurbishment programme for 'D' Hall had finally commenced; nevertheless, a refurbishment of all the Halls was long overdue.

12.3 On the negative side, the Committee voiced concern over the lack of investment in the prison over many years. In particular, they felt that an injection of funds to upgrade the "disgraceful" separate cells was long overdue and they had a number of concerns about the basic prison fabric and some related security issues. Other concerns expressed included:-

12.3.1 They were very worried by the increase in violence in the prison including assaults on staff and the general use of weapons, especially knives.

12.3.2 They hoped that healthcare standards and the administration of prescription drugs would improve in the future.

12.3.3 Initiatives were required to improve the availability of useful work for all convicted prisoners.

12.3.4 They wished it to be placed on record that the social work staff continued to do sterling work, often under very difficult circumstances. They also referred to the recent loss of one social worker post (see paragraph 7.12).

12.3.5 The Committee was impressed by what management were trying to do for those prisoners who had drug related addiction problems; nevertheless, they were frustrated by the relatively limited scale of what was on offer in the Rehabilitation Unit, which could only cater for 10 prisoners at a time. The lack of a proper drug free area following detoxification was also a major limitation and greatly affected the credibility of what was trying to be done for prisoners who sought help.

12. VISITING COMMITTEE

12.1 We met with the Chairman and Secretary of the VC which was 16 strong, its membership having now been equally split between Perth and Dundee Councils. The Committee had been meeting regularly and had also devised a rota which ensured that at least one member was making a visit to the prison each week; this included regular inspections of the Halls, recreation areas, worksheds, health centre and the Education Unit. Food was also being sampled and the investigation of complaints by prisoners was recorded in the request book as required.

12.2 Issues raised by the Committee representatives included the following:-

12.2.1 Their relationships with the Governor and with staff were positive.

12.2.2 Staff/prisoner relationships were also said to be good, with the atmosphere in the prison being described as reasonably relaxed.

12.2.3 Catering standards had improved greatly though portion control could still be better.

12.2.4 The education programme was realistic and well run.

12.2.5 Arrangements for PE/gymnasium were excellent.

12.2.6 Visiting arrangements seemed to be working well.

12.2.7 Canteen arrangements were more than satisfactory.

12.2.8 Fewer complaints were being received from prisoners, mainly because of the new grievance procedures.

12.2.9 The Committee was delighted to see that a major refurbishment programme for 'D' Hall had finally commenced; nevertheless, a refurbishment of all the Halls was long overdue.

12.3 On the negative side, the Committee voiced concern over the lack of investment in the prison over many years. In particular, they felt that an injection of funds to upgrade the "disgraceful" separate cells was long overdue and they had a number of concerns about the basic prison fabric and some related security issues. Other concerns expressed included:-

12.3.1 They were very worried by the increase in violence in the prison including assaults on staff and the general use of weapons, especially knives.

12.3.2 They hoped that healthcare standards and the administration of prescription drugs would improve in the future.

12.3.3 Initiatives were required to improve the availability of useful work for all convicted prisoners.

12.3.4 They wished it to be placed on record that the social work staff continued to do sterling work, often under very difficult circumstances. They also referred to the recent loss of one social worker post (see paragraph 7.12).

12.3.5 The Committee was impressed by what management were trying to do for those prisoners who had drug related addiction problems; nevertheless, they were frustrated by the relatively limited scale of what was on offer in the Rehabilitation Unit, which could only cater for 10 prisoners at a time. The lack of a proper drug free area following detoxification was also a major limitation and greatly affected the credibility of what was trying to be done for prisoners who sought help.