Scottish Government
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Aberdeen Prison

Five things are 'badly wrong' at Aberdeen prison; and there is very little that the prison can do to make them better, according to the latest report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons published today.

The main findings of Dr Andrew McLellan's report are:

  • The prison is very overcrowded
  • There is a shortage of staff
  • There is very little useful work available to prisoners
  • Prisoners spend long hours inside their cells
  • The building itself has had almost no recent investment: windows are broken, the Segregation Unit is poor and the visits room needs to be replaced

The report also highlights that the conditions at Aberdeen Sheriff Court are 'unacceptable'.

However, the report also points out that:

  • Prisoners feel safe
  • All prisoners have access to very good learning opportunities, including those on remand
  • Healthcare is good
  • The prison has developed good relations with a wide range of community agencies

Dr McLellan said:

"Five things are badly wrong at Aberdeen prison; and the paradox of the announcement of a new prison in the North-East of Scotland to replace Aberdeen is that until these much improved conditions arrive it is likely that things will only get worse for those current prisoners.

"Aberdeen is always one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country. One of the worst parts of this is the exercise arrangements for prisoners on protection. Because there is so little room these prisoners have to walk around inside a large 'pen' for the purpose of fresh air exercise. This arrangement is so dreadful that it must be replaced immediately.

"Hardly any prison in Scotland has a higher proportion of staff vacancies than Aberdeen has. It is this combination of high overcrowding and high staff shortage which provides unusually difficult and long-lasting problems. At the time of inspection there were 119 staff employed: the expected number is 136. Staff shortage on this scale doubles the damage done by overcrowding.

"It is very disappointing to discover how little useful work is available to prisoners day by day. This is disappointing in two contexts. On the one hand it is a clear illustration of the circumstances all over the Scottish Prison Service, where the amount of useful work has declined steadily in recent years and shows no sign of increasing. But it is particularly disappointing in the context of the report of the inspection of Aberdeen of 2004. That report said Work experience in the joinery workshop is of a high quality and vocational training in industrial cleaning is effective. The introduction of fish-filleting training ... is an imaginative and promising development. All of these examples have since disappeared and have not been replaced.

"An overcrowded prison where there are considerable staff shortages and little available work will hold prisoners who spend long, long hours locked inside their cells. This is exactly what happens in Aberdeen.

"The fifth thing that is wrong is the condition of the building itself. It is an old building which has had almost no recent investment and which is likely to receive even less in the immediate future. Many cell windows are broken; the Segregation Unit falls well below the facilities in other prisons, some prisoners live in locked dormitories; and the visit room, the replacement of which has been demanded in every single inspection report on the prison, is as bad as it ever was.

"It is important to identify those who suffer most from the difficulties of this prison. Remand prisoners, particularly those under 21 years old, spend the longest time locked up: they are only out of their cells for PE or a visit or recreation. Sex offenders have no offence-specific preparation for release, live in the worst conditions, have very little access to work, and have to take exercise in "cages". Prisoners in the Segregation Unit sleep on mattresses on concrete plinths; their windows cannot open and there is no electric power in cell. Perhaps most worrying of all, there is almost no systematic preparation for release for any prisoner: there are no programmes to address offending behaviour apart from the pilot substance misuse programme.

"Despite these very significant difficulties, there is much in this report that Aberdeen prison can be proud of. Most importantly, the prison is safe. Full credit should be given to management and staff for the atmosphere of safety despite overcrowding and staff shortages. It is particularly important in relation to the mixture of prisoners from varied backgrounds, countries and cultures within the prison.

"The education provided in the learning centre is of a very high standard. High numbers participate; and there are some opportunities for prisoners on remand. Healthcare and addictions liaison have shown real improvement; again this is impressive in the context of overcrowding and the mix of the prisoner population.

"A most disturbing part of this report is not actually about Aberdeen prison itself. The conditions for prisoners at Aberdeen Sheriff Court are disgraceful: dramatic improvement is needed immediately."

Today's report relates to a full inspection of Aberdeen prison, with a focus on the conditions in which prisoners live and on the way prisoners are treated.

Related Information

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/27110446/0

 

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