The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons and

Young Offender Institution In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile de ...

s. The Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, currently Teresa Medhurst, is responsible for its administration and reports to the

Cabinet Secretary for Justice The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, commonly referred to as the Justice Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for law and order in Scotland. The Cabinet Secret ...

, who is responsible for the Scottish Prison Service within the Scottish Government. There are fifteen prison establishments in the country, two of which are privately managed. The SPS employs over 4,000 staff, with its headquarters in Calton House, located in

South Gyle South Gyle (pronounced ) is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying on the western edge of the city and to the south and west of an area of former marshland once known as the Gogarloch, on the edge of Corstorphine. Most of the buildings in th ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Key personnel

The current Chief Executive is Teresa Medhurst and supporting her is the SPS Board consisting of: * Allister Purdie - Director of Operations (Acting) * Caroline Johnston - Director of Corporate Services (Acting) * Sue Brookes - Interim Director of Strategy & Engagement (Acting)

List of establishments

* HMP Addiewell (Privately run by Sodexo) *

HMP Barlinnie HM Prison Barlinnie is the largest prison in Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Prison Service and is located in the residential suburb of Riddrie, in the north east of Glasgow, Scotland. It is informally known locally as The Big Hoose, ...

* HMP Castle Huntly ( Open prison) * HMP & YOI Cornton Vale ( Young Offenders Institution and Women's Prison) * HMP Dumfries * HMP Edinburgh *

HMP Glenochil HMP may refer to: Science and technology * Haughton–Mars Project * Host media processing, a telephony processing technique * Human Microbiome Project * Harmonic mean p-value, a technique for combining statistical tests Computing * Heterogeneo ...

* HMP & YOI Grampian ( Young Offenders Institution) *

HMP Greenock HMP Greenock is a prison located in Greenock, Scotland, serving designated courts in western Scotland by holding male prisoners on remand, and short-term convicted prisoners. It also provides a national facility for selected prisoners serving 1 ...

* HMP Inverness *

HMP Kilmarnock HM Prison Kilmarnock is a prison in Bowhouse, Hurlford near Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is situated south-east of Hurlford on the Mauchline Road. Its location means it is locally known as ''Bowhouse Prison''. The prison was ope ...

(Operated by

Serco Serco Group plc is a British company with headquarters based in Hook, Hampshire, England. Serco primarily derives income as a contractor for the provision of government services, most prominently in the sectors of health, transport, justice, ...

as part of a public-private partnership scheme) *

HMP Low Moss HMP Low Moss is located on the outskirts of Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire; near Glasgow, Scotland. It has been operated by the Scottish Prison Service as a prison since 1968 and was for low-category prisoners who had sentences of less than 3 ...

* HMP Perth * HMYOI Polmont ( Young Offenders Institution) * HMP Shotts HMP Addiewell and HMP Kilmarnock are both privately managed under contract to the SPS.

Other responsibilities

Prisoner escorting

In November 2003 SPS signed a contract on behalf of Scottish Ministers for a "Prisoner Escort and Court Custody Service". This contract with Geoamey provides for all prisoner escorting between police cells, court, prisons and hospitals as well as covering escorts from prison such as funerals, hospital appointments and community placements and also operating the court custody units. In 2012, SPS contracted this service out to G4S then onto Geoamey in 2018.

Secure hospital

Some prisoners are detained in a secure

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

. This is run by the Scottish National Health Service rather than the SPS. *

State Hospital The State Hospital (also known as Carstairs Hospital, or simply Carstairs) is a psychiatric hospital near the village of Carstairs Junction, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It provides care and treatment in conditions of high security for aro ...

, Carstairs,

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

Prison aftercare

An aftercare scheme, Throughcare, has significantly cut reoffending. The scheme involves getting released prisoners a roof over their heads, sorting out their benefits and medical needs, and showing them that someone cares about them. 78% of former prisoners who received Throughcare did not return to prison over two years. Eleven Scottish prison service sites use Throughcare. "The TSOs hroughcare Support Officersuse a case management approach, working collaboratively with the prisoner, their family, statutory and third sector service partners, to discuss appropriate support provision and to develop a personalised plan to support the person during their transition from custody back in to the community."Throughcare Support Officers in Scottish Prisons
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Media coverage

The SPS has been featured in many TV shows including Prison: First & Last 24 Hours on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

which was broadcast between 28 October 2015 and 5 December 2016.

References

External links

* {{Authority control

Prison Service His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wal ...

Prison and correctional agencies

Prisons A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...

Organisations based in Edinburgh 1993 in Scotland 1993 in British law Government agencies established in 1993