Claims over cramped cells in city court
CELLS at Glasgow Sheriff Court are full of graffiti and too many people are kept in one cell. An inspection of court custody provision highlighted the state of some cells while also noting the Court Custody Unit to be a wellrun facility, with staff that were clearly well motivated, well led and working well as a team.
Inspectors found the normal practice was four people to a cell but said that meant cramped conditions and said all cells should be used to reduce the number.
They said there are two benches in each cell but a “pecking order” meant that dominant men would take the benches to lie on, leaving others to sit on the floor.
Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, said: “The CCU was clean and ordered, and the good state of the Unit was only let down by the extensive graffiti, some of which inspectors found offensive.”
The report states: “There were 12 closed cells that were largely used to house custodies arriving from a prison establishment.
“The walls, ceilings, floors and doors on the closed cells were seen to be badly vandalised with graffiti, some of which was mildly offensive.
“The walls in almost all of the remaining cells were badly vandalised, and the paint was stained and peeling off in places.”
The 34-year-old building at Calton Place, houses 23 courts and 63 cells below where people in custody are held on the day they appear in court.
On the day of the inspection there were 94 people in custody, 72 arrived from police stations and 22 from prisons.
There were concerns about under 18s being kept with older people.
The report said an under 18-yearold arrived from police custody and was placed with three adults, which staff said was established protocol until they were convicted.
The inspector recommended under-21s must be kept separate from adults and under-18s be kept separate from all other custodies.
Concerns over toilets were raised with no cubicle doors, which inspectors said should be fitted urgently.
The report found staff were “professional and friendly” which created a good atmosphere that undoubtedly contributed to the safety of all within the unit. until