Scottish prison population hits record high

The number of people in Scotland’s prisons has hit a record high, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has said.

There were 8,430 people behind bars on Tuesday, above the previous high of 8,420, with the fluctuating figure remaining above 8,400 for the whole week.

The operating capacity of the prison estate is 7,805, meaning a new prison the size of HMP Grampian or HMP Shotts would be needed to cover the overcrowding, according to the SPS.

In a bid to ease overcrowding, which has spiralled in recent years, the Scottish Government released prisoners early last summer and earlier this year – but doing so has not quelled the issue.

Another early release scheme was announced by the Government earlier this month, with MSPs yet to back the move.

SPS chief executive Teresa Medhurst said staff have been dealing with “an extremely complex and far too high population for almost two years”, as she praised them as “outstanding”.

She added: “However, we have now reached a new record high – an unfortunate landmark which none of us wanted to see.

“The level of overcrowding in our establishments was already restricting our staff’s ability to build relationships, support rehabilitation, reduce reoffending, and help to build safer communities across Scotland.

“Now it is reaching a level that raises very serious concerns around our ability to keep people safe and secure.

“I am grateful for the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs’s leadership in this area, and it is clear that further action is needed to support all those living and working in Scotland’s prisons at this time.”

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: “It will surprise no-one that Scotland’s jail population has hit record highs, given the SNP’s abject failures over almost two decades in charge of the justice system.

“As well as failing to come up with a long-term strategy to tackle offending, the nationalists are years late in delivering the new prisons promised in Glasgow and the Highlands.

“Their only ‘solution’ to overcrowding is the reckless early release of dangerous criminals, which has made our streets less safe and seen many of the same offenders washing straight back up in jail after reoffending.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We recognise the serious challenges facing the prison system, which is why the Justice Secretary announced in Parliament emergency proposals to tackle prison overcrowding, with stringent safeguards to protect public safety.

“Our paramount concern is to ensure that those who work and live in prisons are kept safe, so immediate action is now necessary.”

Scottish Labour justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: “The situation is now intolerable for prison officers and staff trying to manage our prisons in extreme overcrowding conditions. The SNP continues to preside over appalling conditions in our prisons.

“These unprecedented figures show the SNP’s sticking-plaster solutions have failed to deal with the dangerous levels of overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons. It is utterly neglectful that the SNP failed to plan for changes to the prison population during their time in government.

“Scotland’s prisons are at breaking point on the SNP’s watch.

“The crisis in our prisons has been years in the making but the SNP has failed to get to grips with the root causes.

“A Scottish Labour government will put an end to SNP incompetence, modernise our Victorian prison estate, recognise the complexities of a changing population and deal with the court backlog.”

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: “It will surprise no-one that Scotland’s jail population has hit record highs, given the SNP’s abject failures over almost two decades in charge of the justice system.

“As well as failing to come up with a long-term strategy to tackle offending, the nationalists are years late in delivering the new prisons promised in Glasgow and the Highlands.

“Their only ‘solution’ to overcrowding is the reckless early release of dangerous criminals, which has made our streets less safe and seen many of the same offenders washing straight back up in jail after reoffending.

“We warned ministers from the start that the early-release programme was a desperate, sticking-plaster idea that was doomed to fail, yet they plan several more rounds of it in the coming months as Scotland’s prisons burst at the seams.

“The crisis in our prisons is entirely of the SNP’s own making. It’s essential they increase prison capacity as soon as possible.”