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Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland: Report for 1999-2000

3. Major Custody Issues and General Assessments

Major Custody Issues (see also Annex2, Annex3, Annex4 and Annex5)

3.1 Illegal drug misuse, suicide and high levels of prisoner on prisoner violence have continued to dominate regimes at many prisons, whilst pockets of local overcrowding continue to exist, especially at HMP Barlinnie. In addition, the closure or amalgamation of seven prisons, together with an additional review of the entire prison estate, has given rise to considerable anxiety amongst prison staff and some prisoners.

3.2 Drug misuse is the reason why so many individuals are in prison in the first place and the number of people convicted or cautioned for drugs offences has more than quadrupled over the last ten years. Half of all recorded crime is said to be drug related, as is one third of acquisitive crime. One third of crime in urban areas and half of all house breakings and thefts from cars are said to be committed by drug users, with there being particularly high rates of drug related crime amongst heroin addicts. The longer term prisons seem to be offering the most sustained opportunities for prisoners to address their addictions, though there is little sign that anything more is yet being done for young offenders, short term or remand prisoners. Nevertheless, a revised SPS drug strategy has been published recently and will provide guidance and hopefully more equitable and appropriate treatment for drug misusers in Scottish prisons. More drug free areas are also being established, with the drug free work parties - which were first encountered at HMP Shotts - providing drug free environments. However, drug misuse will continue to affect many other aspects of life in prison, including the amount of deliberate self harm and the number of suicides, whilst most prisoner on prisoner violence is believed to be drug debt related.

3.3 It was disappointing, therefore, that the SPS chose to shut HMP Dungavel, which was operating as Scotland's first drug free prison.

3.4 With 17 deaths in the year, there has been no let up in the number of apparent suicides. The number of distressed and vulnerable people being admitted to local prisons in particular is high. It is estimated that on arrival, more than 70% have a drug problem, whilst 25% of admissions also have alcohol problems, which further compounds their situation. In addition, medical staff encounter high levels of ill health and psychiatric illness. (In recent years, 9 out of 12 suicides at HMP Greenock were said to be connected to heroin or benzodiazepine abuse.) This is despite the revised anti-suicide strategy that has been introduced at every prison over the last 2 years and the lower prison population that has been experienced this year. The causes of these tragic events increasingly seem to lie with the problems that young people are experiencing in the wider community, including drug misuse, which are exacerbated by the anxieties resulting from imprisonment - and this factor may be especially applicable to those on remand. However, work is being taken forward at Cornton Vale and elsewhere on addressing some of these complex issues, including drug misuse. Notable amongst these initiatives are the use of prisoners trained by the Samaritans as "Listeners" and improvements in the induction and health screening processes, though we believe more could still be done.

3.5 The amount of serious violence, much of it drugs related, has reduced but still presents serious challenges to the good order of Scottish prisons.

3.6 An overview that is generally positive emerges from most of the General Assessments made during our inspections carried out over the last year. These are shown below in the order of local prisons, young offenders institutions, long term prisons, units, low security and open prisons.

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