HMIP Report on HM Unit

Shotts 1998

RESPONSE TO HM CHIEF INSPECTOR’S REPORT ON HM UNIT SHOTTS

Statement by Henry McLeish MP, Minister of State at The Scottish Office with responsibility for Prisons

I am grateful to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for this inspection report, and am pleased to note that he feels that considerable progress has been made by management and staff in addressing many of the shortfalls encountered during the previous 2 intermediate inspections.

The Prisons Board gave careful consideration to the commissioning of research into the role of small units in the Autumn of 1998 but did not support such an initiative at that time. However research into the role of the National Induction Centre has been commissioned and on completion further consideration will be given to an evaluation of the Shotts and Peterhead Units.

The role of the Small Unit Strategy Group (SUSG) which was responsible for the Unit’s development, implementation and operational practices was subsumed by the Executive Committee for the Management of Difficult Prisoners in June 1998. A sub-group of the Executive Committee is actively developing assessment and monitoring processes to facilitate regime development.

As a result of comments made in the Inspectorate report on the National Induction Centre, it was decided that the management structure at both the National Induction Centre and Shotts Unit should be reconfigured to relinquish the Deputy Governor posts. As a consequence of a transfer, the Unit has operated without a deputy governor over the past 12 months with a supervisor covering the Governor’s absences and there are no plans to change this structure.

There are already arrangements for staff being temporarily posted to positions throughout the SPS, most notably to the Scottish Prison Service College. A similar process of application and posting is being considered for specialist units including Shotts.

The Unit’s statement of Purpose and Regime was written almost three years ago, and it is recognised that it does not reflect the regime developments which have taken place since. The newly appointed Governor intends to carry out a full review of the Unit as recommended by HMCIP and will report his findings to the Area Director by the end of June.

25 March 1999