Taking a break from ferries, care home closures, school sewage leaks and SNP ‘corruption’, BBC Scotland cover a topic they’re had on file for 33 days after the day it might actually have been ‘the news’:
When an Irish judge blocked a man’s extradition [1 July 2023] to Scotland on humanitarian grounds, it raised questions about the state of Scotland’s prisons.
Judge Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Richard Sharples faced being locked up for 22 hours a day in less than three metres (10ft) of space.
Mr Sharples, 24, is wanted in Scotland in connection with a firearms offence and a serious assault which endangered the life of another man.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66121355
Firearms offence eh? Am I being insensitive here? Let Ireland keep him then?
In the BBC Scotland report, there is no explanation as to how the Barlinnie governor came to them and why at this time.
So, they saw above story in the Times on 1 July and kept it for a quiet day. Maybe an opposition party spokesperson fed it to them?
Triggered by the news in The Times 33 days ago, not reported then but kept in storage for the drip feed of negativity re scot gov?
Is there only bad news about Scotland’s prisons?
In 2022 and somewhat contradicting the stats in the BBC reports:
Much is made of Scotland having the highest prison population. The European median is 103.2 per 100 000. Scotland’s was 146.6 in 2020, having fallen from 150.4 in 2010.
As with violent crime, reputations change slowly, such that despite a 50% fall in violent crime in Scotland in the last 10-15 years, comedians still characterise it as stereotypically violent.
In 2020, there were 167 prisoners per 100 000 population in England and Wales, already significantly higher than in Scotland.
Today, we read in the Guardian, that after 12 years of Conservative rule and soaring crime rates, Dominic Raab has announced a further increase of 4 000 prison places to cope.
In November 2021, BBC Scotland reported: Scotland must reduce prisoner numbers, says watchdog but of course, offered none of the above context:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59133556
And in 2019, Scottish Legal News was still, inaccurately claiming: Scotland has highest prison population rate per head in Western Europe
Sources:
Earlier, in 2021, we had this from Reporting Scotland Selectively:
like so-called street valium, has risen sharply during lockdown.https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone
Reporting Scotland content themselves with a negative view. Things are clearly getting worse, they imply but they leave out this, in the online version:
The Scottish Prison Service said it has invested in new ways to detect drugs.Paragraph 4 of around 30
A spokesman for the SPS said it treats the issue of smuggling drugs into prisons “very seriously” and the service had “invested in technology to better detect suspicious substances and work closely with partner agencies to garner relevant intelligence”.
“We have over the last few years pointed out on many occasions, to those in our care, the dangers of using such substances. If we suspect that an item many contain such materials, then we quarantine them and do not allow them to enter a prison.”Paras 17 and 19
So they’re detecting more because they invested in technology and they’re protecting the inmates by holding back the material?
Good news story?
Also in 2021:
Official data show that there were 121 deaths related to COVID-19 among people in prisons in England and Wales between March, 2020, and February, 2021. This is 3·3 (95% CI 2·7–3·9) times the rate of death due to COVID-19 among people of the same age and sex in the general population. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(21)00137-5/fulltext
In Scotland, in a parliamentary response by the Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf on 31st March, there were 8 deaths in the same period, there were 8 deaths in Scottish prisons. Leading to call for action by Scottish Labour.
England and Wales have 10.85 times the population of Scotland and so, pro rata, might be expected to have 87 deaths from Covid. They have 121, 40% more.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
It’s not just our prisons, bbc in Scotland only ever relates stories about just how shite it is up here, makes me wonder just why it is that any of their staff stay up here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe BBC staff don’t live in Scotland , maybe they live in England and travel here to issue their propaganda , they sure won’t be able to live here when Scotland becomes independent they will abandon those well known offices and flee , of course nobody will give them a job after what they’ve done
LikeLiked by 2 people
Barlinnie Prison is to be rebuilt on part of the former Provan gasworks site. I think it’s capacity is to be smaller than the current one.
LikeLike
There are too many people on the spectrum in prison. They have not been diagnosed and given the support they need. People with ADHD and learning difficulties. Prison is too bright and noisy for people on the spectrum.
Education is now more inclusive but Councils keep class sizes too high. Employing more classroom assistants, instead of teachers. Especially in areas where new houses are being built. They do not build the school until there are pupils to fill it. Putting overcrowded conditions on the surrounding schools.
People commit crime while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. They need proper rehab facilities. £250million over five years funding for proper rehab facilities will cut prison numbers and death. Austerity has led to more deaths. MUP has cut deaths.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The former Conservative Cabinet Minister, Mr Jonathan Aitken who was jailed for seeking to pervert the course of justice spoke about prisons at the Glasgow Philosphical Society after his release.
It had clearly been a salutory experience for him and brought about a significant change of attitude. Indeed, it could be called, literally, a conversion. He realised what the Christian message really was saying and he is now an episcopalian clergyman and campaigner for prison reform. It was clear to the audience by his demeanour and by what he said that he was sincerely repentant. Subsequent statements and interviews over the years have confirmed that view.
He stated unequivocally that at least 80% of those in prison should not have been incarcerated. This is not because they have not committed crimes, but because almost all of them have serious learning problems brought about by adverse childhood experiences and poverty. What is required is greater social security, health and education for society.
He also reported that prison staff were so overworked there was little in the way of rehabilitative work. Most prisoners on release had no stable family to return to and were prey to drug dealers and gangs. They were often back in jail shortly after. Indeed, for many, prison was a place of stability.
Of course the standard media response – lock em up, flog em, bring back hanging, sop making prison an easy touch, etc.
LikeLike
Re “Judge Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Richard Sharples faced being locked up for 22 hours a day in less than three metres (10ft) of space.”
The Irish Examiner reported on 19 June 2023 –
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41165572.html
“There are now four prisoners per cell in several prisons, which has been described as “grossly inappropriate and dangerous.”
Prison officials attended a meeting with Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Minister of State James Browne on Tuesday where they were informed a new record of the number of people behind bars had been reached in a decade.”
Oops.
LikeLiked by 1 person