This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15822507

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Kenny MacAskill to visit overcrowded Barlinnie jail Prison overcrowding 'needs to be fixed', MacAskill says
(about 17 hours later)
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is to visit Barlinnie Prison to witness overcrowding problems first hand. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has said prisons should not be "routinely used for short-term prisoners".
A recent HMIP report into Scotland's largest jail found it was more than 50% over capacity, with about 500 inmates more than it was designed for. Mr MacAskill was visiting HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow after an HMIP report, published last week, described it as "grossly overcrowded".
Chief inspector of prisons, Brigadier Hugh Monro, said this meant it could not be regarded as "safe". It was found to be more than 50% over capacity, with about 500 inmates more than it was designed for.
Mr MacAskill said the Scottish government was committed to tackling the rising prison population. Mr MacAskill said he recognised the problems caused by overcrowding and said it needed to be fixed.
In his inspection report, Brig Monro said the number of remand prisoners at Barlinnie had risen by 28% since 2009, compared with an increase of just 5% in the overall prison population. He said: "We've got a 35-year low in recorded crime - there is something going wrong when we see so many people ending up in prison, and that's a problem we have to fix.
He has called for a review into why so many men who have not yet faced a trial are held in Barlinnie. "We are working with other partners, police, prisons, health, social work, to try to make sure that prisons are for people who have to be here because they are a danger to our communities or they have committed a crime where no other sentence is appropriate.
'Reduce reoffending' "We've got to make sure that prison isn't used routinely for short-term prisoners where it doesn't benefit them and it doesn't benefit us."
Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr MacAskill said: "We are committed to tackling the rising prison population and have taken a number of steps to reverse the trend. Derek McGill, governor of Barlinnie, said overcrowding at the prison led to "regime difficulties".
"We acted in the last parliament and secured a parliamentary majority to tackle the problem of ineffective very short prison sentences and taken forward wider work to reduce reoffending but it's clear that more needs to be done. The justice secretary said there was not a single cause or solution to the problem.
"We are continuing to invest in improving the whole prison estate and delivering two new prisons - HMP Low Moss and HMP Grampian - alongside the ongoing redevelopment of HMP Shotts." He said there had been an increase in numbers of female offenders so he had asked Dame Elish Angiolini, the former Lord Advocate, to carry out an inquiry.
The justice secretary said this would help relieve some of the overcrowding pressures faced at Barlinnie and the wider prison estate. 'Something wrong'
"Crime is going down in this country and is now at its lowest level for 35 years," Mr MacAskill added. "We also have a huge increase in remand and yet what we know is that 50% of people remanded don't end up with a prison sentence," he said. "There's something going wrong there.
"I am determined to seeing this translate into a reduction in overcrowding as we build a prison service fit for the 21st Century." "Not everybody who's here has to be here. There are other ways in which they can be dealt with."
Last week's report by prisons inspector Brigadier Hugh Monro said certain buildings at the prison were risking the safety of both staff and prisoners and should be rebuilt "as a matter of priority".
He urged the Scottish Prison Service to review the long-term future of Barlinnie and implement its redevelopment "as soon as possible".
Mr MacAskill said Barlinnie has particular problems because of its age.
He said: "There's a limit to what you can do when it's an old Victorian prison. Clearly, new buildings like Low Moss or HMP Grampian will deal with matters much better."