16 May 2008
Significant spending increases on prisons in recent years have failed to reduce overcrowding, an Audit Scotland survey has found.
In a May 8 report, the spending watchdog says almost £300m has been spent on improving conditions in Scotland's prisons over the past six years, but the number of places has stayed the same.
The report, Managing increasing prisoner numbers in Scotland, shows that Scotland continues to have one of the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe and also one of the highest levels of prison overcrowding.
Auditor general Bob Black said: 'Significant amounts of money have been spent improving the conditions inside Scotland's prisons, but more than one in five prisoners are still sharing cells designed for one person.
'With current projections indicating that the prison population could rise as much by 2016 as it has done since 2001, it will be important to improve access to programmes that help to reduce re-offending as well as ensuring an adequate number of prison places.'
According to the survey, prison numbers reached a record high of about 7,700 in April 2008. Between 2000/01 and 2006/07, the average number of prisoners increased by 20% and the number is expected to rise by the same level again by 2016/17.
The report warns that plans to increase prison capacity, including building three new prisons, might not be enough to accommodate these numbers if present trends continue.
PFmay2008
