Scottish prisons need urgent overhaul as overcrowded Barlinnie is ‘biggest risk of failure’

The Scottish prison system needs an urgent back-up plan as the country’s largest jail deteriorates due to a decade of underinvestment, the Scottish Government has been told.

HMP Barlinnie is about 500 people above its capacity and is the “biggest risk of failure”, according to Audit Scotland, which would put the whole prison system in jeopardy.

Jenny Marra, Convener of Holyrood's Public Audit Committee, urged the Scottish Government to develop a contingency plan if Barlinnie 'fails' (Getty Images)

Warning there is no strategy for accommodating inmates if the jail becomes uninhabitable, Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee urged the Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to develop “robust contingency plans” as their top priority.

It is claimed a replacement for HMP Barlinnie in the Glasgow area will be built by 2025 but the committee’s report states work is “likely” to overrun, adding: “The impact of the delay in the capital programme cannot be overestimated.”

Committee convener Jenny Marra said: “Developing a contingency plan for Barlinnie in the event that it fails must be of the highest priority.

“Given the state of prisons generally, the Scottish Government and the SPS must develop robust contingency plans should any other part of the prison estate become uninhabitable.”