HMP Shotts has made positive progress since its last inspection in 2022 but still has more to do. That is the verdict of Sara Snell, the Chief Inspector of Prisons in Scotland.
Shotts is Scotland’s national prison for long-term adult male prisoners. Inspectors published their latest report on the prison in early November.
They rated health and wellbeing, organisational effectiveness and opportunities for purposeful activity as positive. They found strong relationships between staff and prisoners, and several examples of innovative and effective practice.
Two standards slipped to “generally acceptable”. These covered the “effective, courteous and humane exercise of authority” and “respect, autonomy, and protection against mistreatment”. Organisational effectiveness had improved, and health and wellbeing had moved up from poor to acceptable.
Healthcare and progression
Inspectors saw a clear improvement in healthcare. The prison had introduced a clinical pharmacist service, better medical cover and an effective out-of-hours route for escalating clinical concerns. It also took a proactive approach to health promotion and prevention.
The National Integration Centre gave men an excellent introduction to long-term custody, inspectors said. Staff there created a supportive setting for men starting long sentences. Inspectors also named the mentoring scheme for newly recruited staff as good practice.
Some programmes had limited places, and the psychology team faced recruitment problems. Even so, the deputy governor was taking a proactive approach to how prisoners could show progress during their sentence. Shotts sent more prisoners to the National Top End and the Open Estate than any other prison in Scotland.
Areas for improvement
About 100 men a year leave custody directly from Shotts, and inspectors found mixed services for them. Help with benefits and employment was available, but independent housing advice was not routinely on offer.
Inspectors also raised concerns about food quality, hygiene in residential pantries, and access to clothing and cleaning equipment. They noted that staff still routinely strip searched men as well as using body scanners.
Nearly a quarter of the men held during the inspection were over 50. The prison had only four accessible cells.
Ms Snell said Shotts is in a stronger position than many other prisons. It benefits from a settled long-term population and does not suffer from overcrowding. She encouraged the prison to build on the progress it has made.
