Saughton ‘is most violent Scots prison’

EDINBURGH’S Saughton jail has topped a table for prisoner violence.

New figures show more prisoner-on-prisoner assaults recorded at the facility in the past 18 months than in any other Scottish jail apart from Polmont Young Offenders Institution.

A written parliamentary answer from Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill shows 112 such assaults at Saughton since June last year.

Across the whole Scottish Prison Service there were 966 prisoner on prisoner assaults. Polmont recorded 234, Glasgow’s Barlinnie jail saw 95 and Addiewell prison in West Lothian 75.

Addiewell had 37 prison-on-staff assaults in the same period – the second highest after Cornton Vale women’s prison. The total across Scotland was 264. Saughton recorded 25.

A prison service spokesman said: “Edinburgh is a busy local prison dealing with a lot of people over the course of a year.

“Any assault on staff is an assault too many. We don’t tolerate violence or bullying among prisoners either.

“Staff do a remarkably good job in managing prisons.”