Opposition party leaders called for a shake-up in the Scottish Cabinet amid growing disquiet about the security of the nation's prisons.
Iain Gray, the Scottish Labour leader for Holyrood, ridiculed Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill, who this week called an inmate's recent escape "a glitch".
Addressing Alex Salmond at a charged First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Mr Gray said of Mr MacAskill: "The Cabinet secretary is the glitch in the system."
Mr Gray has criticised the Justice chief for three consecutive sessions of First Minister's Questions. Previously, the Labour leader questioned why Mr MacAskill decided to participate in a North America business visit while a knife crime summit was taking place in Holyrood in January.
Mr MacAskill on Wednesday said the open estate transfer policy was not being followed closely. He told ministers: "The criteria (for transfer to open prisons) have been working until this glitch."
Mr Gray, raising his voice to be heard, said: "Should this dangerous, convicted gunman with a history of violence and escape have been in an open prison barely three years into a ten-year sentence?".
Brian "the Hawk" Martin handed himself in on Monday after going on the run from the Tayside facility a week earlier. Martin, who is serving a ten-year sentence for a firearms conviction, had also absconded from prison 22 years ago.
News of another prisoner to abscond from Castle Huntly was announced late on Thursday afternoon.
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RESOURCE
Another inmate from Castle Huntly goes on the run
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In Holyrood earlier, Mr Salmond said the Justice Secretary had told MSPs that if processes had been correctly followed, and if the flow of information had been appropriate, there was a "likelihood" that the decision would not have made."
Mr Gray claimed Mr MacAskill's statement to MSPs had "reeked of complacency."
Annabel Goldie, of the Scottish Conservative Party, called for a reshuffle in the SNP-led government, describing Mr MacAskill's performance a "disaster".
In scenes of shouting and finger-pointing, Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson had to intervene several times to keep order in the chamber.
In response to the challenges, Mr Salmond defended the Justice track record under his leadership, saying the number of inmates absconding from prison continues to decline.
He said: "There has been a dramatic improvement on the open estate system.
"Absconds from the open estate are running at only a fifth of the level they were under the Labour Party - and one eighth of the level they were under the Conservative Party," he said.
The First Minister scoffed at a call from Ms Goldie to apologise.
"Mistakes do happen - that is obvious," said the First Minister. "It is also clear that the system is currently functioning five times better than it was under the Labour-Liberal alliance."
In his explanation to MSPs on Wednesday, Mr MacAskill said Martin should never have been in the open prison in the first place and blamed improper understanding of the prisoner-transfer process.
Mr MacAskill said: "If the process had been properly followed, the likelihood is that Martin would not have been transferred to the open estate."
The issue dominated First Minister's Questions, despite an opening announcement by Mr Salmond of a £2,000 boost for apprentices who lose their job.
"After the apprenticeship summit and the discussions with major employers with capacity to take on apprentices, we have decided on policy to offer a one-off payment of £2,000 to enable apprentices in Scotland who discontinue their employment to move into gainful training," he said.
Last updated: 28 May 2009, 19:39
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