prisons

COVID-19 in Scottish Prisons

In response to the severe threat to prisoners and prison staff posed by COVID-19, we wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, Humza Yousaf MSP, on 19 March 2020. Our letter was as follows:

Dear Cabinet Secretary,

Scottish Prisons: Covid-19

On Tuesday 16 March 2020, we learnt from media reports that two people in prison at HMP Kilmarnock were in self-isolation in response to the first suspected cases of Covid-19 in Scottish prisons.

A brief statement released from SPS on Wednesday 17 March 2020 advised that 12 individuals were self-isolating and that “robust pandemic plans [were] in place”. This has been superseded by another brief statement today advising that two people have tested positive for Covid-19 in HMP Kilmarnock and that SPS is following advice from Health Protection Scotland. It also advises there are “no restrictions on movement in place therefore establishments are continuing to operate visits as normal”.

The latest information posted on the SPS website is dated 11 March 2020 and advises against visiting a prison establishment if you have been to a place affected by Coronavirus in the last 14 days; if you are displaying symptoms of the Coronavirus; or if you have come in contact with someone who is known to have the Coronavirus.

Thus, 18 days since the first reported case of Covid-19 in Scotland, and one day after it was confirmed that the first prisoner in the UK has died of Covid-19, this is the only prison-specific information which has been made publicly available.

As we know, the current prison population of 8,094 (as at 13 March 2020), includes areas of significant overcrowding, where many single cells are doubled up, and in some instances where double cells have been found to be accommodating three people: creating conditions in which the virus could spread rapidly amongst a population known to be in physically poorer health than the general population. The pressures of space would suggest that self-isolation will also pose particular logistical problems.

We are therefore calling on the Scottish Government to provide a clear Covid-19 specific plan of action to protect the physical and mental health of those working and living in our prisons, including a detailed explanation of how the Chief Medical Officer’s ongoing advice will be applied – particularly around ‘social distancing’ – with regular updates being made available without request.

We would expect that some of the wider measures being considered include an immediate expansion of Home Detention Curfew (HDC) and restrictions on the use of remand, and thus look forward to hearing which proposals will be implemented as a matter of extreme urgency.

Yours sincerely

Howard League Scotland Committee

 

 

Evidence to Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee: Prisoner Voting

 
On 19 September 2019, one of our Committee Members, Prof. Antony Duff, gave evidence on our behalf to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee on the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representations) Bill.
 
He provided excellent philosophical arguments, alongside practical points about the need to actively promote the right to vote amongst those in prison. He made it clear that whilst we support this move to enfranchise those serving sentences of up to 12 months, that it was an unambitious and mean-minded starting point for what we hoped would later extend to all prisoners. An important point was raised about us "needing to think for ourselves", rather than simply followinging minimum compliance to ECHR.
 
It was a wide-ranging session with members keen to understand the thinking behind the franchise being extended to those serving sentences of 12 months or less, rather than any other sentence-length.
 
 

Audit Scotland audit of SPS

Audit Scotland published its audit of SPS on 12 September 2019. This highlighted that SPS is unable to operate within its budget and is operating well over capacity. It advised that annual staff sickness had increased by 60% in 3 years; there was growing violence between prisoners and against prison officers; and that operational safety was at risk.

Almost all the issues it raised were as a result of the unacceptably high prison population, which we maintain must be decreased in order to provide safe and appropriate conditions for both prisoners and staff.

The 2018/9 Audit of the Scottish Prison Service

 

Scottish Government - Programme for Government 2019/20

The Scottish Government's Programme for Government 2019/20 was published on 3 September 2019. It stated that the new Women's National Facility (WNF) and first two Community Custody Units (CCUs) will not now be complete and operational by the end of 2020 as previously advised, but that the CCUs will open by the end of 2021 and construction of the new WNF is scheduled to begin early in 2020.

Whilst we welcome the introduction of the new CCUs, we remain concerned that the number of women currently imprisoned far exceeds the capacity provided by the new parts of the estate.

Protecting Scotland's Future - Scottish Government's Programme 2019-20

HMIPS Annual Report 2018-19

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) published its Annual Report on 22 August 2019. Having completed full inspections of HMP Perth, HMP Addiewell, HMP YOI Polmont and HMP YOI Grampian, it reiterated previous findings that parts of the prison estate remained unfit for purpose. Many of its observations related to current overcrowding issues placing unsustainable burdens on both prisoners and prison staff. Examples included difficulties in transferring prisoners to other prisons to complete offender behaviour programmes, where prisoners were at risk of being released into the community without having completed treatment programmes designed to reduce future reoffending. Elements of health and well-being were of particular concern across a number of inspected prisons.

HMIPS Annual Report 2018-19

 

Pages

Archive

2024

2021

2020

Subscribe to prisons