Justice Committee
Meeting date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Official Report
467KB pdf
Purposeful Activity in Prisons Inquiry
Agenda item 4 is consideration of the Scottish Government’s response to the committee’s report “Inquiry into purposeful activity in prisons”. Paper 3 recommends that we agree to await the publication of the Scottish Prison Service’s organisational review and an update on the SPS’s strategic review of purposeful activity.
I suggest that we keep a watching brief on the issue. I think that our investigation has had an impact and I am cheered by the view that the SPS chief has taken. We also have the option of making a bid for a committee debate in the chamber, but we might want to wait for the outcome of those reviews before doing so. Are members content to keep a watching brief on the issue for now?
On page 11 of the Government’s response, item 10 deals with the point that we made that the movement of prisoners between prisons and courts diverts staff resources. The response states:
“Escort services are currently delivered by G4S so there is no impact on prison resources”.
However, our point was that staff need to be allocated to the prison reception area to ensure that prisoners are prepared and therefore can be taken to the appropriate court and undergo all the security searches on their return from court. To say that there is no impact on prison resources is either a shorthand misrepresentation of what we said or a misunderstanding of our recommendation. Our point was not that staff are used to escort prisoners out on the street but that staff, who might otherwise be engaged in providing purposeful support in prison, need to be allocated to the prison reception area for long periods of time, which disrupts the prison. That is just a point of information.
Perhaps you can ask a parliamentary question about that. We know that the SPS is looking at using videoconferencing so that there will be less need for prisoners to be moved backwards and forwards.
That was our point about videoconferencing.
You have put the point on the record, but you can ask a parliamentary question about the issue as well.
I look forward to doing so.
I look forward to seeing your question.