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Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland: Report
for 1999-2000
 Foreword
by the Minister for Justice
I am grateful to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for his annual
report for 1999-2000.
The Scottish Prison Service saw major changes last year, with a rationalisation
programme and the initiation of a review of the future estate. The Chief Inspector's
positive report is welcome in such an important year for the SPS, noting as
it does that SPS has maintained its excellent record of providing secure custody.
I note that the Chief Inspector on this occasion makes no formal recommendations
on this occasion.
I welcome the Chief Inspector's comments on the estate rationalisation and
for the welcome which he has given to the improved conditions for remand prisoners
at Edinburgh, Inverness and Kilmarnock and to those soon to become available
at Cornton Vale and Perth. I note, also, his observation that mandatory drug
testing results are again encouraging, and his positive comments on SPS's
strategic approach to addressing drug use.
I am pleased that the Chief Inspector is encouraged by the start made by
Kilmarnock and his identification of examples of good practice there.
I agree with him that the reduction in the number of serious assaults has
been encouraging. This will remain an area of priority for SPS.
I share the Chief Inspector's concern at the continuing high number of suicides.
The revised SPS suicide risk management strategy continues to improve the
care of those at risk, and reducing the number of suicides continues to be
a high priority for SPS but will be dependent to some extent on trends in
suicides in Scotland generally for which prisons cannot entirely be insulated.
The Chief Inspector reiterates his view that there should be an integrated
approach to the management of young offenders. Young offenders are one of
the groups of prisoners with particular needs, on which SPS set out its policy
in Intervention and Integration, which I published in June this year.
We continue to seek ways in which we can improve interagency working and
the consultation based on Intervention and Integration, which I announced
when the document was published, is designed to identify ways in which others
might engage with SPS in order to improve the management of groups of prisoners
with particular needs, including female prisoners, remands and young offenders.
JIM WALLACE, QC, MSP
Minister for Justice
3 August 2000
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