Prisons

A contingency measure to help prisoners affected by drug use during the pandemic is to be rolled out into the wider community after a pilot project was shown to be a success. Last year the Scottish government allocated £1.9 million to support people in prison on prescribed opiate substitution

The Scottish courts should make greater use of video-link technology to reduce the number of people in custody being brought to court for short procedural appearances, prison inspectors have said. In a new report, HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) said there had been an increase in cou

A new right to welfare, housing and healthcare appointments for prisoners has been proposed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats in its manifesto published today. Research by the party revealed that Scotland's prisons are completely overwhelmed, with the population reaching record levels in recent year

Children, families and friends have had around 18,000 ‘virtual visits’ with prisoners in Scotland in the six months since secure online conferencing was rolled-out across the country. The introduction of virtual visits, alongside the provision of mobile telephone handsets with appropriat

Social distancing guidelines were not always followed at a prison in which six inmates have tested positive for coronavirus. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland found that staff at HMP Kilmarnock occasionally failed to wear personal protective equipment when they were unable to observe the two-m

The average daily prison population rose sharply in 2018-19 and 2019-20 despite fewer people being imprisoned, according to statistics published by the chief statistician today. Following several years of steady decline, the average daily population in Scotland’s prisons rose from 7,464 in 201

HMP Barlinnie is “no longer fit for purpose”, according to prison inspectors. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland found that the prison's holding cells, “first condemned 25 years ago”, are still in use and that they may fall foul of human rights law.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has written to Holyrood's Justice Committee to highlight concerns about measures being taken in prisons during the pandemic. The commission expressed concern that the current conditions being experienced by some people in Scottish prisons could amount to inhuman

Karyn McCluskey explains why the status quo on prison numbers cannot continue. The words you use matter. To give a random example, If I tell you to "stay alert" you might be a bit confused as to what you’re being asked to do. You might not necessarily assume I mean “stay at home as much

Regulations to allow a limited number of short-term prisoners nearing the end of their time in custody to be released early have been laid in Parliament to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme is limited to those sentenced to 18 months or less and who on 4 May have 90 days or less left t

The Scottish government and Scottish Prison Service intend to introduce mobile phones in Scotland’s prisons to maintain contact between people in custody and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak. The move follows the suspension of visits to help protect all those within prisons, includi

A criminologist has suggested that Scotland will face prison riots if inmates are not afforded any coronavirus protection. Twelve people died in riots in Italian jails last month after prisoners objected to restrictions on visits.

The Scottish members of the UK National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) have today written to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, highlighting efforts to uphold the rights of people in detention and deprived of their liberty during the COVID-19 outbreak. Among the recommendations in the letter, signed by Jud

The high rate of life imprisonment in Scotland is driven by both increased punitiveness and attempts to reduce the risk that serious crime poses to society, according to a new academic paper. More people are serving life sentences in Scotland as a proportion of the national population than in any ot

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has thanked Colin McConnell for his work as chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) following his decision to retire later this year. Mr McConnell has led the SPS since May 2012, following a career in prisons in Scotland, England and Wales and Northern Ire