Report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons on HM Prison, Penninghame 1997

2. Establishment

2.1 Penninghame houses long term prisoners (LTPs) in open conditions, a role which it first adopted in 1954. Until very recently, two other establishments - ie HMPs Noranside and Dungavel - had assumed a similar regime though the latter was about to revert to semi-open status. Meanwhile, the open regime at HMP Castle Huntly was a recent innovation for prisoners who were serving relatively short sentences.

2.2 The establishment is located four miles north of Newton Stewart on the A714 Girvan road. Formerly a private estate, the main prison building is the original mansion house which was built in 1869. It is surrounded by 83 acres of grounds which include several outhouses and lodges, a walled garden and areas of forestry and arable land.

2.3 Although the current capacity was for 85 places, the population had often fallen below that figure in recent years: for example in 1995 and 1996 the numbers had fluctuated between a minimum of 44 and a maximum 63. That had led to some uncertainty about the establishment's future, not least because minimum figures such as these can lead to the annual unit cost of each prisoner being as high as £40K, whereas it is around £26K for those in closed conditions.

2.4 Until very recently the majority of its prisoners had been LTPs who were nearing the end of their sentences and who had been selected as being suitable for and likely to benefit from open conditions. However, as noted at paragraph 1.2, in an effort to increase cost efficiency and to maximise the opportunity for rehabilitation, the SPS had recently adjusted the criteria for admission. Some outhouses had also been converted for additional accommodation and it was hoped that it would be possible for the capacity to be increased to 95 in the near future (with a concomitant lowering of unit costs to £18K). At the time of signature of this report, the total population at Penninghame stood at 82 and was forecast to rise to 85.

2.5 With an average stay of 15 months, the establishment had continued to provide a vital stage in an individual's progress towards release via a variety of opportunities, including working to or with the local community in Newton Stewart and elsewhere throughout Wigtonshire. These opportunities are discussed in later sections of this report.