Scottish Government efforts to slash prison numbers have been criticised and described as “knee jerk” reactions.
So what needs to be done?
The Herald is launching a new series investigating the challenges ahead and the solutions that could fix the crisis.
From Monday, the series, titled Scotland’s Prisons: Crisis Behind Bars, will take an exclusive deep dive into the numbers behind overcrowding.
The deep dive includes an extensive look into the problems the prison service brings to the public purse.
The Herald brings you exclusive insight into what it is like to be placed inside prison, with a look inside five Scottish jails.
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Inmates and family members tell us their life stories, providing real insight into prison life.
Currently, the Scottish Government response to rising overcrowding has been the early release of prisoners.
More than 300 prisoners were released in tranches across six weeks between February and March after emergency legislation changed the rules to allow prisoners to be released after serving 40% of their sentence, including the previous 50%.
The change applied to those serving sentence of less than four years, however those convicted of violent and sexual crimes were blocked from the scheme.
But there is a problem. This is now the third early release scheme from the Scottish Government and prisoner numbers continue to rise.
And of course, there are concerns that victims are rarely informed when their perpetrator is released early.
Figures released last week suggested just 10 victims were notified under the victim notification scheme (VNS) of prisoners being given early release.
Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland will write exclusively for The Herald’s investigation.
HMP Barlinnie, the notorious 143-year-old jail, has been described as unfit for purpose, with inmates said to experience human rights breaches, including inadequate time outside of their cells.
But as The Herald’s investigation will reveal, it is not just Barlinnie that is on the brink of chaos.
The infamous jail is also due for replacement – at almost 10 times the initial cost estimate.
The replacement – HMP Glasgow – will cost nearly £1 billion and has been delayed for years.
It will have a capacity of 1,344 – capacity for 357 more prisoners than Barlinnie.
The prison series is the third series of 2025, after a deep dive into Scotland’s railway and joint investigation with the Glasgow Times to look at the city of Glasgow.
Join us next week in The Herald. Subscribe here to read the series in full.
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