Scottish Government

2. Summary of Inspections Undertaken

The Open Estate
Full inspection 9-13 May 2005

• There were 33 absconds and 39 failures to return to the establishment during the last year.
• Prisoners and staff feel safe.
• New accommodation is being built at Castle Huntly, which will provide space for an additional 141 prisoners. However, arrangements for this increase in population are not yet in place.
• Outside work placements are very good.
• The food is very good.
• The Independent Living Unit and the Garden Centre have the potential to make significant contributions to the preparation for release.
• Integration of the two sites still does not provide the same conditions and treatment of prisoners on both sites.
• There is an absence of work and structured activity within Castle Huntly and the time prisoners spend locked up has increased.
• The dormitory accommodation at Castle Huntly is unacceptable.
• Healthcare is very good, particularly in Castle Huntly.
• Initial arrangements for Throughcare are good, although the Links Centre should be completed as a matter of urgency.
• Arrangements for Sentence Management are inconsistent. They have improved at Noranside, but are poor at Castle Huntly.
• The management and provision of addiction services requires to be improved.
• Education provision is satisfying for those who take part; but more effort to engage with a wider range of prisoners is required.
• The preparation and arrangements for Home Leaves are inadequate.

HMP Aberdeen
Follow up inspection 20-22 June 2005

• There had been no escapes since the last inspection.
• Prisoners felt safe.
• The Female Unit is now much brighter and fresher. Uncertainty about the future of the Unit was causing anxiety amongst some of the women living there.
• The visit room, the health centre, the reception area continue to be unfit for purpose. There is evidence of lack of investment in the fabric of the prison.
• The prison is still badly overcrowded.
• There is still not enough purposeful activity for prisoners meaning that many spend long periods locked in their cells. New opportunities for work were not in place, while previous opportunities were no longer available.
• The provision of education to prisoners has stalled.
• Addiction services are in transition.
• There was uncertainty about the future of the prison.

HMP Low Moss
Follow up inspection 15-16 August 2005

• There had been one escape in the past year.
• There has been a noticeable reduction in the levels of violence.
• The quality and quantity of food is good.
• Links with outside agencies are good.
• There is now a clear structure in place to manage addictions.
• The arrival of a significant number of new prisoners from HMP Perth had been well managed.
• The living conditions in the unmodernised dormitories remain the worst feature of the prison.
• The laundry service is still very poor.
• Prison staff continue to display a determination to make the best of Low Moss despite the constant and imminent prospect of closure.

HMP Edinburgh
Full inspection 22-26 August 2005

• There had been no escapes in the past year.
• The prison is safe.
• Slopping out ended on 2 June 2005. The completion of two large new residential blocks within the last two years has transformed the prison. This process has been well managed. All prisoners now live in decent conditions but the conditions for untried prisoners are becoming less good.
• The transformation of the prison has resulted in the opening of a new "Hub": a building designed to hold the Health Centre, the Learning Centre, the Links Centre and other facilities. It will take time to learn how to make the best use of this facility.
• The induction programme is a model of good practice.
• Learning, skills and employability provision is good. Given the rebuilding programme, and the temporary closure of some workshops, the prison is trying to provide meaningful activities for most prisoners.
• The innovative use of peer support prisoners is a commendable feature in different aspects of the prison.
• The number of long-term prisoners being held has increased very considerably: some of these prisoners are sharing cells but a good beginning has been made in terms of Sentence Management; the distinct identity and opportunities of the former Pentland Hall are less obvious.
• There are difficulties in some aspects of the provision of healthcare. Support for prisoners with mental health problems is inadequate.
• Edinburgh's development as a community prison is making progress.

HMP Inverness
Follow up inspection 6-7 September 2005

• There had been no escapes in the past twelve months.
• A number of matters raised in last year's full inspection report have been addressed, including the introduction of some Sentence Management for long-term prisoners, and some developments in the regime for vulnerable prisoners.
• Improvements have been made in the area of addictions.
• The prison is still badly overcrowded.
• Women being held in the Female Unit expressed anxiety that the Unit was about to close.

Overall, the strengths identified in last year's report remain.

HMP Perth
Full inspection 3-7 October 2005

• There had been no escapes since the last inspection.
• Slopping out has ended.
• Perth is a safer prison than before: there has been a reduction in the number of serious violent incidents.
• A large-scale rebuilding programme is underway and this is being managed well.
• Food is good in Friarton Hall but poor in the main prison.
• Work experience and vocational training opportunities for prisoners were generally good but the shortage of prison escort staff prevented prisoners from gaining maximum benefit from these activities.
• Some prisoners are still living in very poor conditions in 'A' Hall and in 'E' Hall (particularly the bleak dormitories).
• There is a lack of planning at different levels in several areas of the prison including induction and catering.
• There is a lack of proper management and co-ordination of addiction services.
• The prison is not catering for the needs of an increased remand population.
• There has been a reduction in the operation of the Links Centre.
• The Reception was well run, but there are concerns about arrangements for meals and the time prisoners can spend there.

HMP Kilmarnock
Follow up inspection 8-9 November 2005

• There had been no escapes in the last year.
• There is more consistency in Induction and better integration of Sentence Management and Throughcare.
• The activity of the addiction staff is more clearly focused and directed.
• The anti-suicide strategy is competent and thorough.
• There has been reduced bullying and intimidation in the wings; a reduction in threats made to staff; and an increase in drug interceptions.
• There are few opportunities for useful activity for remand prisoners.
• The funding of the Throughcare Centre finishes in 2006. It is important that the operation of the Throughcare Centre is maintained.

HMP Greenock
Full inspection 5-9 December 2005

• There had been no escapes in the past year.
• The prison is safe: with good staff-prisoner relationships.
• The food and the canteen are excellent.
• Changes to the functions of Darroch Hall have been managed well.
• Community placements, an important part of preparation for release for long-term prisoners, work well.
• The arrangements for prisoners being received into the prison, particularly those arriving for the first time, are very good.
• Learning, skills and employability provision is good.
• Ailsa Hall remains badly overcrowded.
• Concerns were raised about elements of healthcare.
• The toilet arrangement in cells in Ailsa and Darroch Halls are unsatisfactory, and the decoration in Ailsa Hall is very poor.

HMP & YOI Cornton Vale
Full inspection 27 February - 3 March 2006

• There had been no escapes in the last year.
• There has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents of self harms.
• Arrangements for maintaining contact with families are excellent, despite the poor facilities in the main visits room.
• The steep rise in the number of women being sent to the establishment means that it is becoming more difficult to meet their needs. "Boredom" is a much used word by prisoners.
• Progress has been made in the provision for young offenders.
• The opening of a new houseblock, Wallace House, gives access to very good living conditions.
• It is unacceptable that all women are routinely "double cuffed" when held under escort - including during labour.
• Addiction support is struggling against the pressures on prisoners trying to break an addiction habit.
• There has been a reduction in the psychology service.
• The establishment is developing a culture of care towards its prisoners, including restorative practices and a 'care orderly room'.

HMP Dumfries
Follow up inspection 22-23 March 2006

• There had been no escapes in the past year.
• Anti-suicide measures are in place.
• Most prisoners have access to a more productive day.
• This more productive day is not yet available to remand prisoners and short-term prisoners on protection.
• The standard of decoration and cleanliness throughout the prison has improved. Much of this redecoration has been done by prisoners.
• Dumfries no longer holds female prisoners.
• Sentence Management for long-term prisoners is now much better organised.
• The SPS Core Screening Instrument is now used with all prisoners admitted to the establishment and is the basis for referral to services and interventions.
• The complaints system is now better organised.
• Access to, and quality of, healthcare has improved.
• The interview procedures and use of cubicles in the Reception have not been addressed.
• Whilst addiction support has improved within the prison transitional care arrangements do not reflect the SPS policy.

Overall, the prison has responded well to the issues raised in the last report.