Question reference: S6W-24122
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 20 December 2023
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Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 January 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prison cells housing the general prison population and those in solitary confinement are not furnished with (a) a table, (b) seating for the daytime, such as a chair or bench and (c) a bed and bedding at night, and where in the prison estate any such cells are located.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
When an individual is allocated a prison cell in any establishment, the cell is equipped with furnishings such as a table/tabletop, seating, a bed and bedding.
The occasion where this may not occur is when an individual is located in a safer cell if it is considered that they are a risk to themselves. These cells are equipped with a bed and bedding, but they may not have a chair or a separate table. Items in use within a safer cell are allocated on an individualised basis.
The following table shows the number of safer cells across the prison estate:
Establishment | Number of Safer Cells |
Barlinnie | 11 |
Dumfries | 2 |
Edinburgh | 5 |
Glenochil | 4 |
Grampian | 16 |
Greenock | 3 |
Kilmarnock | 2 |
Low Moss | 8 |
Perth | 7 |
Polmont | 15 |
Shotts | 2 |
Stirling | 13 |