Question reference: S6W-23578
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 5 December 2023
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Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19273 by Angela Constance on 14 July 2023, how many mobile phones have been confiscated from prisoners in HMP and YOI Grampian in each month since the scheme was first introduced on the prison estate.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
Introduced on 1 July 2020 during the COVID-19 global pandemic, restricted prison issue mobile phones provided those in our care with the ability to maintain contact with family and friends during an extremely difficult and challenging period.
SPS purchased 15,317 mobile phone handsets before the provision was withdrawn on 31 July 2023.
The following table provides the number of SPS issued mobile phone handsets that were confiscated at HMP & YOI Grampian, each month, from when mobile phones were introduced on 1 July 2020 to when the provision was withdrawn on 31 July 2023:
Month | Number Confiscated |
2020 | |
July | 4 |
August | 27 |
September | 30 |
October | 33 |
November | 38 |
December | 21 |
2021 | |
January | 5 |
February | 14 |
March | 10 |
April | 14 |
May | 23 |
June | 16 |
July | 18 |
August | 27 |
September | 14 |
October | 14 |
November | 32 |
December | 3 |
2022 | |
January | 14 |
February | 11 |
March | 15 |
April | 19 |
May | 21 |
June | 22 |
July | 32 |
August | 20 |
September | 19 |
October | 20 |
November | 28 |
December | 25 |
2023 | |
January | 30 |
February | 27 |
March | 27 |
April | 30 |
May | 10 |
June | 21 |
July | 29 |