SPS cracks down on social media use behind bars

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) undertook 89 investigations into use of social media behind bars in 2014 and 2015, with officers deleting the accounts of 55 users.

Since it opened last year, HMP Grampian has been the site of illicit social media use by six inmates.

The figures were obtained under a freedom of information request.

A senior official at the SPS said: “Upon identification of a profile for a prisoner, we request removal from the site.

“This is because there has been a breach of terms of conditions of use as they – the prisoner – have not been able to access the site through legal means or it has been accessed by a third party.”

Social media use is highest amongst the young, with the young offenders institute at Polmont seeing nine accounts closed following 11 investigations.

HMP Grampian also contains a young offenders unit and followed Polmont with six closures after eight investigations.

At HMP Inverness one prisoner’s profile was closed.

SPS spokesman Tom Fox said possession of internet-capable devices in prison was an offence and that the service would ask Facebook and other sites to delete inmates’ profiles.

He said: “It’s simple. If someone is updating a social media page while in prison they are breaking the law because the only way they can be doing it is by using devices that are illegal to have in prison.

“The issue is that people have previously accessed, or had others access for them, social media and used it in a way which is offensive to people who have perhaps been victims of crime.”