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6. ENTITLEMENTS
Outcome
Prisoners' entitlements are accorded them in all circumstances without their facing difficulty.
6.1 Not fully met. Disciplinary procedures and the handling of privileged mail are handled appropriately. However, complaint forms are not readily available in all residential areas.
Management of Disciplinary Proceedings
6.2 The Orderly Room is small, cramped and has no ventilation. The set up of the room follows the normal convention, although hearings take place at a round table, which coupled with the size of the room, makes movement difficult.
6.3 Adjudication of disciplinary hearings is conducted by Senior Managers on a rotational basis. Proceedings follow SPS guidelines although there were none on show. There were no writing materials available either. Writing materials and a copy of the Prison Rules should be available.
6.4 A total of 151 discipline charges had been brought against prisoners since 1 st Jan 2008, of which a total of 120 were found guilty. One conclusion which might be drawn from these figures, is that staff only use the disciplinary process in circumstances that cannot be avoided: but the number of guilty verdicts does seem high.
Religious Observance
6.5 The Chaplaincy team comprises three part time Chaplains all employed on permanent contracts of eight hours per week. This is a significant increase in resource since the last inspection. Two of the Chaplains are Church of Scotland, the other is Roman Catholic. There is no regular Imam service to the prison, although an Imam (from Fife) visits infrequently.
6.6 There is a monthly Chaplaincy Steering Group Committee meeting.
6.7 The Chapel is small but furnished appropriately. It has no windows. A number of prisoners commented on the recent installation of a camera into the chapel. Chaplains were less concerned.
6.8 The Church of Scotland Chaplains offer a Sunday Service from 2.00-3.00 pm in the Chapel. The Roman Catholic Mass is delivered in the Chapel on a Monday from 12.45-13.45 hours. Muslim prayers are held on a Friday at 2.00 pm in the induction room. Prayer mats and copies of the Koran are available for use in cell. A large prayer mat is available for use during the Friday prayer session. These meetings are sometimes cancelled because of staff shortages. There was no meeting on the week of the inspection and this was the second time the meeting had been cancelled in three weeks. Muslim prayer meetings should happen as timetabled.
6.9 Numbers attending the Church of Scotland Service have dropped slightly as this service now clashes with an afternoon visits session.
6.10 A Church of Scotland Chaplain delivers a "10 Commandments" Session in the Links Centre on a Thursday afternoon. The Roman Catholic Chaplain delivers New Faith Drop in Clinic on a Monday evening. All of the services are available to every prisoner group, although prisoners access these on a first come first served basis i.e. prisoners automatically deselect themselves from attendance at this service if they turn up and sex offenders are there first.
6.11 Chaplains do not input into the ACT2Care process or attend monthly ACT or Multidisciplinary Mental Health Team Meetings. They have also not established a routine process for visiting all new prisoners on admission. It is disappointing to note that despite having been raised in the 2005 report the chaplaincy team still are not becoming involved in the wider life of the prison. It is recommended that every new prisoner should see a chaplain, and that chaplains should become more integrated in the life of prison.
Visiting Committee
6.12 The Visiting Committee feels well supported by the Governor and staff. They reported that the prison had improved in the past three years although they expressed concern at the rapid turnover of governors in the recent period. In the past year there have been 25 applications to see a member of the visiting committee.
6.13 They reported that there had been no real problems in the local community with the prison changing function to hold sex offenders. The food they felt was good but they had concerns about the maintenance of this standard with the rising cost of ingredients. They also reported that the physical conditions in the segregation unit were poor. Concerns were raised also about the size of their budget to meet their needs and also about the fact that it is controlled by the Scottish Prison Service
Prisoner Complaints Procedure
6.14 Complaint forms are not readily available in all residential areas. During the inspection they were visible and accessible in 'B' and 'E' Halls: in all other areas prisoners had to ask staff for a form. Complaint forms should be readily available in all residential areas.
6.15 The number of complaints has dropped dramatically since the last inspection (a 61% reduction in 16 months). This has resulted, in the main, from one prisoner leaving the establishment. An analysis of a sample of complaint forms showed that many prisoners were asking for things or asking for clarification of why they were not allowed them.
Management of Segregation
6.16 One of two areas in 'B'Zero is the 'Back End', which is used to locate prisoners on punishment or Rule 94 (the Segregation Unit). This area contains four normal cells designed for single accommodation which have hot and cold running water, in cell power with a TV and a toilet unit which is not enclosed.
6.17 This area has a very isolated and oppressive feel. It appears to be used only as a last resort and very sparingly.
6.18 On the day of inspection, one prisoner had been located in the 'Back End' as a result of an incident elsewhere within the establishment at 07:20hrs. At 13:45hrs this prisoner had still not received any written direction outlining why he had been relocated to that area.
6.19 It had been two months since any prisoner had been held under Rule 94 conditions, however inspection of the relevant paperwork showed gaps in the documents for that prisoner.
6.20 On a more positive note, historical documentation indicates clear management engagement in terms of management plans for prisoners held under Rule 94 conditions.
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