Staff could lose their lives at work if soaring jail population ignored – union

Prison officers could lose their lives on the job if the soaring inmate population is not addressed, ministers have been told.

The Scottish Government is seeking to introduce emergency early releases for hundreds of prisoners after figures showed the jail population has increased 13% since the beginning of 2023.

The Community union, which represents prison officers in the private sector, including at HMP Addiewell and Kilmarnock, said staff are at “breaking point” as he condemned the lack of a long-term strategy to control the escalating crisis.

While the union is not recognised by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) or the Scottish Government, it said it regularly lobbies ministers to improve conditions across the sector.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Steve Farrell, the union’s regional officer in Scotland, said prisons need more officers.

“Our members are the people who are expected to look after prisoners in a really challenging environment – one of the most challenging environments you’ll get in any workplace,” he said.

“The investment in prisons from the Scottish Government over the years has been in decline. The pressure that brings on staff is unbearable.”

He said two members of staff are often left to manage around 65 prisoners at a time, while addressing the complex needs of individual inmates include those with addictions to “psychoactive substances” which can make them “extremely violent”.

He said: “The prison estate is at a critical stage, a critical crossroads. (Ministers) need to make the right decision because if they make the wrong decision, that could be catastrophic.

“I’m not over-exaggerating when I say we could have prison officers who could lose their lives while at their work.

“It’s becoming that dangerous.”

Phil Fairlie, assistant secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said prisons are in a “state of crisis”, adding: “It is absolutely critical that these steps are supported to give our prisons and prison officers the breathing space and support they so badly need right now.

“The real test now will be in seeing that support being replicated in approving these measures across the Parliament, and letting prison staff know that their voice is being heard.”

An SPS spokesman said the prison population has “increased rapidly” within the last few weeks, with Justice Secretary Angela Constance telling MSPs on Thursday roughly 400 more people have been incarcerated since March 18.

She said the Scottish Government is reassessing the release of long-term prisoners, with consultations being put together on automatic early release, with previous laws seeing those who had served two-thirds of their sentence released earlier.

She said: “In taking this approach and combining emergency release with longer term measures, my hope is that we can both mitigate the immediate crisis and start to address the trends which have brought us to this point.”

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “Our population, which was already very high and extremely complex, has increased rapidly in the past few weeks, in a way which was not anticipated.

“This is a critical challenge putting significant pressure on our staff, our establishments, those in our care and our partners.

“The Cabinet Secretary’s statement set out her legislative priorities and how she intends to engage with MSPs across the Parliament to reach agreement on reducing the prison population.

“We stand ready to work with the Scottish Government and our partners to act upon the decisions reached, as we continue our focus on supporting our staff, those in our care, their rehabilitation and Scotland’s communities.”