Prisoners still lack access to classes

LESS than half of prisoners in one of Scotland’s main jails are involved in any kind of meaningful activity, a new inspection report has revealed.

Just over a third of those behind bars at Glenochil, in Perthshire, were found to be attending education classes.

The new figures have emerged in a follow-up report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland, after an earlier report, published in June 2010.

At that time it was reported that 37 per cent of prisoners were out of halls during the day, instead of being involved in some other kind of activity.

Since then 150 sex offenders have been transferred from another prison, Peterhead, to Glenochil. The follow-up report, published yesterday, states that there has been fair progress in the prison, which is “largely satisfactory” given the change in the number of prisoners being housed there.

However, it adds: “The central issue at Glenochil is the need to improve access to purposeful activity and to programmes.

“The arrival of sex offenders from Peterhead has complicated the situation and this needs to be addressed in the light of a further tranche of prisoners to be transferred from Peterhead.”

Lewis Macdonald MSP, Labour’s justice spokesman, said: “What is most disappointing about this report is the lack of progress on access to work and education that has been made since the last inspection.

“We must end the situation where prisoners spend their days idle and get them into the workroom and the classroom so they are better equipped to live a crime-free life when released.

“The lack of access to work and education is becoming a worryingly familiar trend.”