Lib Dems reveal Scotland’s most violent prisons (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale Liberal Democrats)

Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems reveal Scotland’s most violent prisons

May 4, 2009 2:42 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Justice spokesperson Robert Brown MSP can reveal Scotland's most violent prisons.

Just days after revealing shocking figures about the number of assaults on prison staff, Mr Brown has new information about the number of prisoner on prisoner assaults.

Answers to Parliamentary Questions reveal that over the last six years there have been 3209 prisoner on prisoner assaults in Scotland's jails.

Cornton Vale, Glenochil, Kilmarnock and Perth prisons have all shown worrying recent increases in the level of inter-prisoner violence. Cornton Vale, for instance, has seen the number of assaults almost double in recent years, shooting up from 27 in 2006 to 50 in 2008. The prison has also already recorded 13 assaults this year.

Commenting, Mr Brown said:

"Coming hot on the heels of figures showing that there were 1,290 assaults on prison staff over the last nine years, these latest figures reveal a shocking level of violence in Scotland's prisons.

"Addiewell only opened in December 2008, but it has already clocked up 32 prisoner on prisoner attacks.

"Some prisons have recorded escalating violence. The number of inter-prisoner attacks at Cornton Vale has almost doubled between 2006 and 2008 and it's not looking good for 2009 as 13 assaults have already been recorded this year.

"The Justice Secretary needs to get a grip of this serious issue in our prisons. He needs to find out the root causes of this violence so that steps can be taken to sort it out.

"It's clearly not helped by chronic overcrowding in our prisons. Tackling this would be a good first step."