| ESTABLISHMENT AND POPULATION Establishment
2.1 HMP Low Moss is located six miles north of Glasgow -
and two miles from the town of Bishopbriggs - in open country, adjacent to a Government
Vehicle Testing Station and close to the A803 Kirkintilloch Road. Formerly an RAF Camp and
Civil Defence Training School, it opened as a Category ‘C’ penal establishment
in March 1969. The ground on which the prison stands is leased from the Ministry of
Defence, with the current contract due to expire in the year 2002.
2.2 The prison is the only hutted establishment in the SPS,
it originally being intended that these wooden relics from the beginning of the second
World War would be used as a temporary means of relieving overcrowding in HMP Barlinnie.
However, because of continuing high numbers in Scottish prisons, it not only continues to
fulfil that original function but also regularly takes in prisoners from a number of other
establishments. After Barlinnie, it has one of the highest prisoner throughput rates in
Scotland - in the order of 4,000 admissions per year.
2.3 The establishment receives only category ‘C’
or ‘D’ prisoners and does not receive any individuals direct from the Courts.
Sex-offenders or prisoners convicted of fire-raising are excluded, as are those who have a
history of attempted escapes or who are known to require some form of suicide or medical
observation. Prisoners may be held for as little as one or two days and the maximum
sentence is 18 months - see paragraph 5.1.4. A large
percentage of the population are recidivists and during the course of our inspection, we
met some prisoners who had served time in the establishment on more than a dozen separate
occasions.
Population
2.4 The establishment is designed to hold 396 in dormitory
accommodation and on the first full day of our inspection (Monday 9 February 1998) the
population was 378, accommodated as follows:-
| Location |
Design Capacity |
Population |
| Dorms 1-14 |
376 |
353 |
| Dorm 16 (i.e. for those about to
be liberated) |
10 |
6 |
| Alba House |
10 |
10 |
| Total |
396 |
369 |
In addition, seven prisoners were located in the Surgery
(Dormitory 15) and two were in the Separate Cells.
2.5 All of the population were convicted male adults and a
breakdown of the sentences being served was:-
| 6 months and up to 18 months |
228 |
| 3 months and less than 6 months |
134 |
| 1 month and less than 3 months |
8 |
| Less than 1 month |
8 |
|
| Total |
378 |
2.6 A breakdown of the security categories was:-
| Category ‘C’ |
339 |
| Category ‘D’ |
39 |
|
