Scottish Prison Service issues apology three years after losing inmate's possessions during prison transfer

An inmate has received an apology from the Scottish Prison Service, more than three years after their belongings were lost during a prison move.

The prisoner complained that SPS had “failed to appropriately investigate” their lost property during a transfer to another prison.

In their complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), the inmate complained about the handling of their claim, including the time it took them to receive a decision.

They maintained that three bags of possessions were lost, however, the prison service had concluded only one bag was unaccounted for.

The ombudsman found the evidence received from the SPS to be “difficult to follow” and “unclear” as to how they had concluded that only one bag was missing.

There was no method in place for tracking items prisoners had in their cells before they were placed in bags for transfer.

It was also found that there was “no evidence” that the prison service had assessed the inmate’s claim that some of their items were damaged during transfer.

The SPS only communicated their decision three years after receiving the complaint, and it was “not clear” why the decision had taken so long.

Given this, the SPSO upheld the prisoner’s complaint and asked the prison service to apologise to the inmate, reconsider their claim, and maintain “accurate and legible” records of prisoner’s property.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We have apologised for the length of time taken to progress the claim in this case.

“Our staff work hard to look after the property of people in our care, and where it is reported lost or stolen, this is investigated, and compensation is paid if appropriate.”