Yesterday, the Criminal Justice Committee backed a draft for the Early Release of Prisoners (Scotland) Regulations 2025.

The news follows the release of a report from the Prison Officers’ Association (POA).

The country’s prison population reached an all-time high of 8,430 inmates last week, surpassing the previous record set in 2012. The POA’s findings record exhausted staff battling a “toxic combination” of challenges that have left morale at rock bottom.

One officer described the situation as “a ticking time bomb”, while another said morale among staff had never been lower.

To relieve pressure on the system, the Scottish government had proposed the emergency release of up to 1,000 prisoners – the third such measure in just over a year, following the early release of nearly 800 inmates in 2024 and again this spring.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said funding for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has risen by 10 per cent this year and that an independent commission is examining long-term reforms.

The POA, which represents 4,000 members working in the SPS and at the State Hospital in Carstairs, gathered input from around 400 staff for the report.

Phil Fairlie, the association’s assistant general secretary for Scotland, said even he was shocked by the bleak tone of many responses.

He said: “Scotland’s prison system is under extreme pressure like never before. The toxic combination of overcrowding and understaffing, added to the complexity of the prisoner population is having a huge impact on every prison officer in every jail.”

Officers reported struggling to manage prisoners with serious mental health issues, members of organised crime groups, and an expanding cohort of ageing sex offenders.

The POA has called for sweeping reforms, including sustained investment in the prison budget, recruitment overhaul, higher pay, and lowering the retirement age to 60.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said the service was proud of its staff and the crucial work they do to rehabilitate offenders and protect communities.

“It is important their voice is heard and listened to, particularly given the extremely high and complex population they are managing,” the spokesperson said. “We remain committed to working alongside them and our trade union partners.”

Ms Constance welcomed the report and praised staff for their dedication, noting that prison officers have received an eight per cent pay rise over two years and that £481.5 million has been invested in the SPS.

She said: “I want a safe and rehabilitative prison environment and have taken a number of actions to tackle the rising prison population, including maximising the estate, increased investment in community justice, with a total of £159m this year to strengthen alternatives to custody, and an increase in the use of Home Detention Curfew.

“Whilst prison will always be needed, we need to have sustainable solutions to the prison population and address why Scotland, along with England and Wales, is a complete outlier in comparison with other European countries in terms of our high prison population.”