Staff at Scotland’s largest prison face ‘extra challenges’ due to rise in sex offenders
Staff at Scotland’s largest prison face “extra challenges” from a large increase in the number of sex offenders housed in Barlinnie, according to a report.
An inspection of the male-only prison on the outskirts of Glasgow described it as “well-run” but highlighted issues over the need for separate work and education provision for those convicted of sexual offences.
Barlinnie, which was built at the end of the 19th century, has a design capacity of just over 1,000 but at the time of the inspection the prison held 1,240 inmates.
The most recent figures from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) were that Barlinnie housed 246 sex offenders while across the country as a whole there are more than 1,100 convicted sex offenders in a population of about 7,400 prisoners.
The age of the building was also highlighted in issues around accessibility for older prisoners.
The report by David Strang, Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, said: ” There had also been a significant increase in the number of prisoners who had been convicted of sexual offences.
“The impact of these important changes continued to be felt, with a need for greater clarity of the roles and responsibilities of the staff affected.”
The inspection also found a ” significant increase” in prisoners requiring protection due to the nature of their offence.
The report added: “Management need to ensure that this increase in complexity does not impact upon the range of opportunities available to individual prisoners or groups.”
Mr Strang told BBC Scotland the population of sex offenders had quadrupled in the last five years.
He said: “The population of men convicted of sex offences has more than quadrupled here at Barlinnie and that provides extra challenge for the staff here.
“Prisoners convicted of sexual offences are kept in one particular hall and so they’re kept separate for activities, for education, for work, and that adds complication for the prison.”
The inspection was largely positive about the work of staff and relationships in Barlinnie.
Mr Strang said: ” What we found was a prison where a great deal of care was taken to ensure a safe and orderly environment was maintained.
“HMP Barlinnie was a well-run prison with a strong sense of identity both in Glasgow and in the SPS. Staff took pride in working in HMP Barlinnie and had confidence in the work they were doing.
“In recent years the prison had been required to accommodate prisoners at short notice from across Scotland, a task it had the flexibility to perform with ease.
“I was impressed with the level of interactions in HMP Barlinnie, in general positive and respectful. We saw good evidence of staff supporting prisoners, particularly those who were vulnerable and in need of additional assistance.”
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