§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what proposals he has concerning the modification of the rules governing the operation of the special unit at HM prison, Barlinnie; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what formal training is undertaken by prison officers in relation to service in the special unit, HM prison, Barlinnie; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many prisoners have spent part of their sentences in the special unit, HM prison, Barlinnie over the past 15 years; what was the average length of time served in the unit; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what is the average length of service a prison officer serves in the special unit, HM prison, Barlinnie; and what proposals he has to modify such service;
(5) how many prison governors have been placed in charge of the special unit, HM prison, Barlinnie, in the past 15 years; what was the average length of service of such personnel; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe subjects of these questions relate to matters undertaken by the Scottish Prison Service. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. E.W. Frizzell, to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Dr. Norman A. Godman dated 24 October 1994:
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Questions about the Barlinnie Special Unit. These concerned the rules governing the operation of the Unit, the training of staff, the average length of time served by prisoners in the Unit, the average length of time prison officers serve in the Unit, and the number of governors in charge of the Unit in the past 15 yearsFollowing the report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, which was published in March this year, an internal Scottish Prison Service Working Party was set up to review the operation of the Barlinnie Special Unit. Its remit was subsequently extended to address recommendations made by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector in respect of the Shotts Unit.The Working Party has recently completed its work and its findings will require very careful consideration. I hope, however, that it will be possible to take decisions about the Units shortly.So far as training is concerned, there is at present no formal Unit-specific training programme for staff, but staff are required to 457W apply for Unit posts, and there is a rigorous selection process to ensure that suitable personnel are posted. The Scottish Prison Service provides a wide programme of training for staff in general, including Unit staff, and courses in group work, managing aggression, and influencing skills are among the training which has been undertaken by current members of staff. All Barlinnie Unit staff have completed an accredited counselling course. The selection and training of staff are among the issues which the internal Working Party, to which I have already referred, has considered.You asked about the number of prisoners who have spent part of their sentences in the Barlinnie Special Unit over the past 15 years and the average length of time served in the Unit. Over the past 15 years a total of 23 prisoners have spent part of their sentence in the Unit, and the average length of time served there is three years seven months.So far as officers are concerned the average length of service in the Unit of current staff is approximately three years.In the past 15 years the Barlinnie Special Unit has had eight Governors in charge, including the present Governor, who was appointed in late March 1994. Excluding the present Governor the average length of Governor in charge appointment in that 15 year period has been two years and two months.