Recovery behind bars: Low Moss prisoners find hope through peer support

“I’m 56 years old. I’m in the best place I have been in my lifetime – and it’s all down to this room.”

Some may find this hard to believe as Ian is currently behind bars, serving a lengthy sentence.

He says he has been able to confront his 40-year addiction with the help of weekly recovery sessions led by his peers, who are also in custody at Low Moss.

“The difference it has made to me as a person is night and day,” Ian said.

“I believed that I was damaged goods because of my addiction. I thought I had no hope. I never had the tools until I met my sponsor.”

Inside the prison, a former storage area has been converted into a recovery hub where staff and outside organisations deliver rehabilitation and recovery programmes.

Every Tuesday morning, it’s prisoners who run weekly sessions themselves.

Ross, who helps lead the group, said: “There are no officers, the boys feel comfortable to share freely because they know the information isn’t going anywhere. It stays in the room.”

Brian, who also delivers sessions, says it is helping him stay away from drugs, which he says is a daily struggle for many inside.

“The jail is polluted with drugs right now. A lot of legal highs, etizolam, and stuff like that,” he said.

“Before, I was taking drugs I didn’t even like. Stuff that made me feel horrible, just to get out of dealing with my own feelings.

“Today, I know I can wake up and not need drugs. It’s getting easier and easier.

“At Christmas time, a lot of people in here felt that they needed to use and were offering me loads of times. I didn’t find it hard to say no this time.”

Prisons across Scotland are under immense pressure due to overcrowding and high levels of substance abuse.

An alcohol and drug recovery strategy has been launched by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to expand on work with partner organisations and improve access to support across the estate.

Data shows drug use has changed dramatically in recent years, with an increase in novel psychoactive substances, cannabinoids and street benzos.

The SPS says ongoing vigilance is required to stop them being widely circulated around jails.

Inside Low Moss, the peer group is helping to give its members a different perspective.

Peter said: “It has totally transformed my behaviour in prison.

“I used to be a volatile drug user, angry at the system when I was in custody elsewhere.

“Since moving here, I’ve had a complete attitude shift – toward staff, other prisoners, everything.”

Statistics on substance misuse within Scotland’s prisons highlight the scale of the problem.

The SPS Prison Survey 2019 found that 41% of respondents reported engaging in problematic drug use before imprisonment, with 45% having been under the influence of drugs and 40% reporting being drunk at the time of their offence.

The survey also revealed that 63% of prisoners had been drinking at harmful or hazardous levels before imprisonment, with a third being alcohol dependent. Among those in remand, 73% were classified as alcohol dependent.

The new strategy aims to instill a “recovery culture” throughout the prison system.

Lisa Millar from the Scottish Recovery Consortium said: “It’s about changing that cultural approach in order to get it threaded into every part of prison life.

“Pretty much every prison in Scotland is now doing some type of activity connected to recovery. It is still a work in progress but we are making in-roads.

“It’s great coming down to a recovery hub, but then when the guys are going back up to the landings, if there’s not a recovery culture there, it can be really quite challenging for them.

“We’re trying to plant that wee seed of hope to show that change is possible.”

The recovery coordinator at HMP Low Moss, Kevin Carberry, says a different approach is needed to create long-term change both within the prison system and beyond.

Kevin Carberry - HMP Low Moss. — Kevin Carberry – HMP Low Moss. STV News

“These guys are not going anywhere; we’ve got them here, and we can show them another way. The hope is that these lessons will transition into the community after they’re released.

“We are essentially giving them their own space and the trust to run their own group, do their own thing and take it their own direction.

“We have seen a lot of progress but there are still a lot of guys that are struggling, but the doors always open for them and they’re always coming back. As long as they’re showing that willingness, they’re welcome here.”

For group member Peter, the programme has also provided a new way forward.

“It has shown me another way to go,” he said. “The people that are coming in here are treating me like a human being, talking to me like a human being.

“This makes me want to help other people and become a better person.”