SCOTLAND'S prisons are among the most overcrowded in western Europe, according to a new report which claims more than 1,000 extra cells will be needed over the next decade to cope with soaring numbers.
The Audit Scotland report, published today, reveals that Scotland is third in a European league of prison overcrowding, behind Spain and France.
The report states Scotland's jails are more overcrowded than those in countries including Belgium,
France, Austria, Sweden and England and Wales.
Its findings have triggered calls for the Scottish Government to build more prisons and scrap short-term prison sentences.
Professor Robert Black, the Auditor General and author of the report, reveals that Scotland's prison population has increased by 20 per cent since 2001, and last month hit a record of more than 7,700 inmates in a system designed for 6,600.
Overcrowding is reducing the opportunity to rehabilitate prisoners because staff time is taken up guarding inmates, reducing the availability of work, training and education, his report states.
He claims the cost of admitting and releasing prisoners has increased by £2.5 million, while transfer costs have risen by £4 million. A further £7 million has been spent building two temporary blocks to cope with the rising inmate numbers.
His report suggests costs will soar in the future, with the prison population predicted to hit 8,500 in 2017. This will mean an extra 1,100 or more prison places will be needed after a new 700-cell jail is completed at Addiewell, West Lothian.
Prof Black has urged ministers to produce "clear plans" for coping with a growing prison population. He warns plans to increase prison capacity, including building three new jails, may not be enough if present trends continue.
His report discloses that £300 million spent on upgrading Scotland's jails in the past five years has made hardly any difference to prison capacity.
Eleven of the country's 14 prisons are overcrowded – the exceptions are Perth, Shotts and Peterhead – and Aberdeen is the most overcrowded, with a 158 per cent occupancy rate.
Last year, the average daily prison population was 7,200, and the Scottish Prison Service spends about £280 million a year running the country's 14 jails.
Since 2000, the average annual cost per prisoner has risen 10 per cent from £28,114 to £30,989.
Although the prison service has made efficiency gains, prisoner numbers have grown faster than its budget since 2000.
The report states: "Significant recent investment in the prison estate has improved conditions, but the number of prisoner places has remained largely unchanged.
"Plans for increasing prison capacity will add a further 1,900 places. However, this may not be sufficient to accommodate projected prisoner numbers in the next nine years."
Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, said the Scottish Government was addressing many of the recommendations as a matter of urgency and several points raised were being looked at by the independent commission on prisons. He added: "Prison should be for serious and dangerous offenders, which is why we are building three new prisons and committing record investment to our prison estate.
"However, we can't just build our way out of the problem. For every prison built, it means one less hospital or school for our communities."
Margaret Smith, the Scottish Lib Dems' justice spokeswoman, said:
"There needs to be an overhaul of sentencing policy, along with a greater focus on targeting the root causes of crime to cut offending and reoffending rates."
Bill Aitken, the Scottish Tories' justice spokesman, added: "Many will find it astonishing there has been this financial outlay and not one additional prison place has been created, albeit that prisoners are now kept in greater comfort.
"The bottom line is we need an additional prison."
John Scott, of the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland, accused politicians of a "lack of thought" on the issue.
IN NUMBERS14
number of jails in Scotland
11
number of overcrowded jails
7,736
record prison population last month
8,500
estimated prison population in 2017
£280 million
amount spent upgrading prisons since 2002
189<
number of new places that money has bought
2.6<
number of prisoners per prison staff member
£30,989
cost of keeping a prisoner in jail for a year
142
prisoners per 100,000 people in Scotland
20
percentage of prisoners who have to share a cell designed for one
The full article contains 743 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
