Question reference: S6W-21284
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 13 September 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 September 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that landlines installed in prison cells are not being used for criminal purposes.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
Permanent In Cell Telephony means individuals in prison can maintain purposeful family contact, including with children, which we know is important for good mental health and wellbeing, and for reducing the risk of reoffending upon return to communities.
The hard-wired in-cell telephones are subject to the same robust security, which governed the use of mobile phones and hard-wired telephones in all residential areas. Those in our care can only call numbers from a pre-approved list, and SPS maintain the ability to monitor and record calls.
Where it is suggested that a criminal act has been committed, this will be reported to Police Scotland.