Team Leader, Glasgow Health & Social Care Partnership, Tomorrow’s Women
THE RHETORIC – Over the years I have often hear phrases like ‘prison is like a 5-start hotel – HMP Hilton’ or ‘Holiday Camp’ alongside suggestions of ‘that’s why people keep going back’ and ‘It’s a soft option’. This rhetoric is often fuelled by the media, with sensationalist, eye catching headlines. A quick online search and you will without doubt come up with lots – above are just a few – YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO GO TO THE ARTICLES.
Let’s have a quick QUIZ, see how you do, answers at the end of the article:
QUIZ 1
ANSWER CHOICE
- Rounded to the nearest 50, what do you think was the prison population in Scotland at 31st March 2023?
- 75
- 750
- 7,500
- 75,050
- What percentage of those do you think were untried (on Remand)?
- 10%
- 15%
- 20%
- 25%
- What do you think was the average number of people from Glasgow in prison on any given day 2022/23? (local stats)
- 13
- 135
- 1359
- 13590
THE REALITY – Now let’s take a look at the reality – In its last full inspection released in 2020 by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) – whose role it is to inspect the 15 prisons across Scotland (in order to establish the treatment of, and the conditions for prisoners and to report publicly on the findings) – found that HMP Barlinnie, the busiest prison in Scotland:
- Had very poor living conditions.
- Was overcrowded – by 40% more prisoners than its design capacity at the time of inspection.
- Due to its overcrowding, required significant numbers of prisoners to share cells originally designed for one – cell sizes therefore fell below the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recommended minimum for over 50% of the prison population.
- Had a lack of suitable physical facilities which was exacerbated by the limited access to opportunities for employment and rehabilitation activities.
- Had many prisoners who were constrained to the minimum requirement of one hour’s exercise in the open air per day, with very little additional out of cell time.
CLICK THE VIDEO LINK BELOW and hear from Brendan who has experienced what is it really like first hand.
You can read the full inspection report by CLICKING THE PICTURE LINK BELOW OR SCANNING THE QR CODE.
Here is an alternative newspaper article to think about:
Research from Glasgow University ‘Still Nothing to See Here’ found that from September 2020 to 2022 there were 121 deaths in Scottish prisons including; 29 (that’s 24%) by suicide, 25 from drugs and 2 homicides – STILL SOUNDING LIKE A HOLIDAY CAMP?
I will leave you with these images.
ANSWERS – How did you do?
QUIZ 1
ANSWER CHOICE
- Rounded to the nearest 50, what do you think was the prison population in Scotland at 31st March 2023?
- 75
- 750
- 7,500
- 75,050
- What percentage of those do you think were untried (on Remand)?
- 10%
- 15%
- 20%
- 25%
- What do you think was the average number of people from Glasgow in prison on any given day 2022/23? (local stats)
- 13
- 135
- 1359
- 13590
