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Justice Committee 29 January 2013

29 Jan 2013 · S4 · Justice Committee

Item of business

Prison Visits

White, Sandra SNP Glasgow Kelvin Watch on SPTV

I got a hat and a mug—the clerk got a mug as well—which you cannot buy. Perhaps in later years the mug might appear as an heirloom on the “Antiques Roadshow”. I thank the clerk, Joanne Clinton, for all the notes that she took.The visit was very interesting and I was impressed by the dedication of the governor and staff. They were very honest both with us and with the prisoners. We had a tour around most of the prison and met numerous prisoners in numerous areas. They, too, were very up front and honest with us, and were never led by the governor on how to answer questions or on what questions to ask. It was a very relaxed atmosphere in some areas.Some problems are exactly as other members have raised, including lack of housing and employment opportunities for prisoners on release, particularly for those on short-term sentences and for remand prisoners.An interesting issue is that remand prisoners do not participate in programmes or courses. The governor said that remand prisoners are often advised by their lawyers not to take part in any programmes or courses because that could be seen as an admission of guilt. I thought that that was a very interesting comment.As I say in the report, we saw Theatre Nemo. There was also an American actress involved in putting on a play, which 55 prisoners attended. We went in near the end of that play and spoke to a number of the prisoners, who certainly seemed to have got a lot out of it. The play was about someone who had been incarcerated in Auschwitz and it was called “Imprisonment”. We spoke to the actress and, as I said, to the prisoners. One prisoner came up and said that it was even better than going to Òran Mór for a play, a pie and a pint—he thought that it was a much better performance in that respect. I was very impressed by the amount of things that were going on.Another issue that came up was the lack of throughcare opportunities for short-term prisoners. Obviously, the point about remand and short-term prisoners came across loud and clear. I definitely formed the impression that there really is not any meaningful purposeful activity going on for remand prisoners.We spoke to a number of the prisoners, and one gentleman said that he had been going through a revolving door for 20 years—and he was not very old. When he got out of prison there was a shortage of housing, so he was given a sleeping bag. That is what happens in some areas. He was put into a hostel, and he got back into the same old ways again.We were told that literacy and numeracy levels are not as poor as they are portrayed to be. The prisoners were given a five-page booklet to fill in, and 90 per cent of them were able to fill it in. Therefore, it was assumed that they could read what they were filling in and answering.We spoke about employment and housing, as well. The prisoners feel that there are too many agencies trying to deliver similar programmes. They are not all meeting up, and there is no throughcare, in that regard.I will mention Low Moss in relation to overcrowding at Barlinnie. The governor had said that, until Low Moss came along, Barlinnie was very overcrowded. At the moment, the prisoner number is nearer to 1,300—Barlinnie hosts 1,104 and there are 560 staff. I was very impressed by what the staff are trying to do, but the main concern—as in other prisons—is about short-term prisoners and remand prisoners. That is perhaps where we should be targeting our resources, which do not seem to be getting through, however, for the reasons that the governor raised with us.

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Justice Committee 29 January 2013

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