§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisons are currently assessed to be overcrowded; and if he will list them, indicating the number of places by which they exceed their quota. [16827]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe subject of the question relates 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 30 March 1995:
801WLord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about those prisons currently assessed as overcrowded.During any year a number of cells are unavailable for use for a variety of reasons, including redecoration or damage repair work, refurbishment (including, in some cases, to install night sanitation) or for other policy reasons (eg being retained in the event of an emergency). The position on utilisation of available places varies between establishments, taking into account, among other things, that "local" prisons require to hold prisoners for short periods on remand from the Courts; that some establishments are suitable only for low security categories; and that there is a need to house separately various prisoner groups (such as those serving long sentences, or young offenders).Against that background the information you requested—reflecting the position as at Friday 17 March—is set out in the table attached.
Establishment Design capacity Places available for use Prisoner population Excesses (+)/shortfall (-) ((4)-(3)) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Aberdeen 142 134 179 +45 Barlinnie 939 852 1,154 +302 Castle Huntly 144 144 79 -65 Dumfries 139 129 133 +4 Dungavel 135 135 119 -16 Edinburgh 508 508 637 +129 Friarton 56 56 80 +24 Glenochil 669 537 475 -62 Greenock 172 172 258 +86 Inverness 79 68 100 +32 Longriggend 177 177 186 +9 Low Moss 396 396 376 -20 Noranside 135 132 124 -8 Penninghame 85 85 50 -35 Perth 426 426 460 +34 Peterhead 271 209 204 -5 Polmont 414 366 398 +32 Shotts 535 452 451 -1 Cornton Vale 213 179 172 -7 Totals 5,635 5,157 5,635 +478