Report on HM Prison Shotts

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland 1998

2. ESTABLISHMENT AND POPULATION

Establishment

2.1 HM Prison Shotts is situated amongst open countryside and coal bings to the south of the M8 motorway, near the Lanarkshire village of Shotts. Purpose built in 1978 and currently Scotland’s newest prison, it caters entirely for LTPs. Within the perimeter fence there are 32 acres of land, 14 acres of which are currently vacant and would be suitable for the development of additional house blocks, should the need ever arise.

2.2 Two small but separate establishments are also contained within its extensive perimeter – HM National Induction Centre (NIC), which prepares adult males sentenced to 10 years or more for life in mainstream prisons; and HM Shotts Unit, which is for a small number of adult males unable to cope with normal prison life. Both have their own Governor in Charge and are the subject of separate inspection reports.

Population

2.3 Shotts is designed to hold 462 prisoners in single cell accommodation and currently is holding more lifers than any other establishment in Scotland. At lock-up on the first full day of our inspection (Monday 2 November 1998) the population was 456, accommodated as follows:-

In addition, six prisoners were located in the Health Centre and eight were in the Segregation Unit of whom four were being held under Rule 80 conditions and two were subject to Rule 95.

2.4 A breakdown of the sentences being served was:-

2.5 The security categories of the total population were:-

a