Prison staff facing 'unprecedented' levels of threats from organised crime gangs in jails

Prison staff are facing “unprecedented” levels of threats and danger from members of organised crime gang members in Scottish jails.

In a letter to the Justice Committee, the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said they faced “challenging and dangerous” conditions in Scotland’s prisons.

The union’s assistant general secretary Phil Fairlie said that with “significant numbers of serious organised crime gang members in the system” the “type and level of threat and danger the staff face is unprecedented”.

Mr Fairlie said: “While we are extremely proud of the incredible work our members are doing on a daily basis in our prisons, we are also extremely fearful for their physical and mental health the longer they are asked to put themselves in harm’s way in seriously overcrowded, dangerous and violent prisons and being asked to manage the most complex of prisoner groups with significant mental health issues.

“Violence inside our prisons both on staff and on prisoners continues to rise, temperatures relating to tension and frustration are also on the rise and our members are reporting to us the fragmentation and concern of a breakdown of the crucially important relationships between staff and prisoners that allows them to share those confined spaces in a way that allows good order, discipline and productive rehabilitative work to be undertaken, while attempting to keep everyone safe.”

Mr Fairlie added the “stubbornly high” remand population was impacting officers’ ability to manage prisons effectively, with the group of those awaiting trial making up 25% of the population.

While the POA said it was supportive of the Scottish Government’s early release programme, which aims to tackle prison overcrowding, it said more needed to be done to tackle the issue long term.

A spokesperson for the POA said: “For years the POA has been calling for urgent action to address the problems in Scotland’s prisons. As this report acknowledges our members are providing a high level of service under the most intense pressures but their patience and energy is finite.

“We need urgent action to address the overcrowding crisis and we welcome the Prisoner Early Release Bill as an early step.

“But until these measures are having a meaningful long term impact, we need more staff, an improved estate, and a recognition that our Prison Officers are not superhuman and able to work under such conditions until they are almost 70.”

Holyrood is considering emergency legislation that will lower the automatic release point for prisoners with sentences of less than four years.

The Scottish Government says the move is necessary to tackle overcrowding in prisons, and that those convicted of sexual or domestic violence offences will be exempt from early release.

Last week, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused John Swinney of having his “head in the sand” as they clashed over early release plans.

He added the plans were a “desperate attempt to tackle a crisis created by the SNP”.

The First Minister had said Scotland is not the only jurisdiction to experience prison crowding in the wake of the pandemic, saying the early release measures are required to keep jails safe.

Responding to the POA letter, justice secretary Angela Constance said: “Prison officers do a difficult job in very challenging circumstances and I am grateful for all they do. Any attacks on them are completely unacceptable and incidents of alleged criminality are reported to the police.

“This is one of the reasons that I am taking concerted action to tackle the rising and complex prison population. I note that the POA and the Prison Governors Association Scotland are supportive of the aims of the Prisoner (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill as an important step in reducing the current pressures in the prison system, one of many changes we are taking forward.”