Inspector has ‘serious concerns’ about overcrowding in Scottish prisons

An inspectorate has cited “serious concerns” about overcrowded Scottish prisons, after a recent report concluded the population remains too high.

In its latest Independent Prison Monitoring (IPM) report, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland (HMCIPS) says overcrowding has caused some prisoners to share cells that are not suitable for sharing.

Interim HMCIPS Stephen Sandlam said in his report, released on Monday, that the population is “stubbornly” high and the Scottish Prison Service cannot cope with the numbers.

The report says: “Overcrowding caused more prisoners to have to share a cell, some of which are not suitable for sharing.

“The remand population remains stubbornly high and the SPS estate is not equipped to deal with this rising population.

“Action taken thus far to address this has proved inadequate, but HMCIPS welcomes the Prisoner (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament as an important step in reducing the current pressures in the prison system.”

The cost-of-living crisis and prisoner complaints system were also brought up by the inspector, who had reservations about both.

The report said: “As in the rest of the country, the costs of goods/food for prisoners are rising without a matching increase in prisoner wages.

“This not only harms prisoners, but also increases the cost of imprisonment on their families, who often supplement their earnings.

“IPMs are also concerned that the SPS is not adequately funded to provide three healthy meals per day per prisoner.”

It adds: “Prisoners lack faith in the SPS prisoner complaints system.

“It does not follow best practice, as advised by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), and should be reviewed by the SPS as a matter of urgency.

“Lack of action on this matter since last year is a matter of concern for IPMs.”

The report also found that prisoners were often locked in their cells for too long without access to rehabilitative activities, and said many have been unable to access offending behaviour programmes, meaning they have had to move to other, less secure prisons to help prepare them for release.

Several Scottish prisons reported staff shortages, meaning existing prison officers and staff are stretched.

The report asked the SPS and Scottish Government to urgently look at resources available to prisons in order to end the overpopulation problem, as well as the other issues highlighted by HMCIPS.

However, the inspector praised the increased number of prison volunteers, as well as the overall improvement in the monitoring of prisons.

It also said staff act with “compassion and humanity” and that prison activities “provided a real opportunity for prisoners to start a journey away from crime”.

An SPS spokesman said: “We are pleased that this report recognised the ‘compassion and humanity’ our staff show on a daily basis, and also the challenging environment they are working in due to our extremely high and complex population.

“Our staff work hard to support people in their rehabilitative journey, to prepare them for release, reduce the risk of reoffending, and help build safer communities, but this is made significantly more difficult due to the high levels of overcrowding we continue to see.”

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “I welcome this HM Inspectorate of Prisons report, and that it observed good practice in prisons, with staff acting with compassion and humanity. The report also noted that prison activities that took place provided a real opportunity for prisoners to start a journey away from crime.

“I note the inspectorate welcomes the Prisoner (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament as an important step in reducing the current pressures in the prison system. If passed it will add to a raft of other measures that we have taken to address the rising and complex prison population.

“We have also increased the Scottish Prison Service resource budget by 10% to £436.5 million in 2024-25 to enable it to continue to provide a safe and secure estate.”