Prisons

Nearly half the money that GEOAmey paid to the Scottish government in fines over its failure to transport prisoners was handed straight back as ‘support’ to the company in a renegotiated contract. GEOAmey was hit with £4 million worth of fines after repeated failures in the deliver

A decision to give prison officers immunity from prosecution over one of Scotland's most high-profile custody deaths was "incorrect", new documents seen by the BBC show. Allan Marshall, 30, died in March 2015 at HMP Edinburgh after being restrained.

Concerns have been raised that prisoners' right to an hour of exercise in the fresh air every day is “clearly being breached” at Scotland’s holding facility for children and young offenders. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) stated in its latest report on HMP YOI

Scotland’s prison system is facing considerable risks, including the poor performance of the company that transports prisoners to and from custody, according to a new report. The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) contracted GEOAmey in 2018 to transfer prisoners between prisons, courts, police cust

A disproportionate number of care-experienced children and young people have siblings in prison or secure care, according to a new report which urges action to ensure their right to a sibling relationship is protected. The Staying Connected: Care-experienced children and young people with a sibling

The longest periods prisoners in Scotland have spent on remand continue to increase, new figures show. While median time on remand before departure remained at 21 days in 2022-23, the longest periods spent on remand have risen significantly. In 2017-18, 90 per cent of remand departures had occurred

Prison governors have written to MSPs over "significant concerns" about the rising number of inmates in Scotland. Natalie Beal, chair of the Prison Governors’ Association Scotland (PGAS), said staff were under "significant strain" and called for "urgent mitigation".

Jails are under severe pressure, with the prison population increasing by almost 10 per cent this year. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the rise was a “significant challenge” and that a further increase would “seriously impact” on staff and prisoners.

The Scottish Prison Service is installing landline phones in cells for the first time to support family contact, mental health and wellbeing, and reduce the risk of reoffending. They will replace prison-issued mobile phones, which were introduced as a temporary measure during the pandemic, when in-p

Scotland has a "very high" incarceration rate, new figures from the Council of Europe show. The end of lockdown measures to tackle the pandemic produced a rebound effect in the incarceration rates in many European countries between January 2021 and January 2022: the median incarceration rate rose by

The Scottish Prison Service has opened the doors for the first time to the new £85.7 million HMP & YOI Stirling, a replacement facility for HMP Cornton Vale.

Plans to hold young offenders under the age of 18 in secure care rather than young offender institutes (YOIs) will require additional resources, a Holyrood committee has warned. There are significantly higher costs associated with holding young people in secure care rather than YOIs, the criminal ju

The UK government is considering plans to reduce reoffending and address labour shortages in England and Wales by allowing more prisoners to go on day release and work in industries such as construction, haulage, and hospitality. Currently, only a quarter of those leaving prison have a job within si

New research suggests that the burden of care and costs associated with supporting someone in prison in Scotland falls disproportionately on women, with many spending half their income or more in costs relating to their family member’s imprisonment. The families of people held in prison overwh

Around a quarter of Scotland's prison population last year was held on remand, the largest proportion on remand on record, new figures show. The Scottish government yesterday published its prison population statistics for 2021–22, showing that the average daily remand population increased by a