Kept out of prison for being ‘too bad’
HUNDREDS of people have been banned from visiting their loved ones in prison – because of their own bad behaviour.
More than 500 people have been refused entry for trying to sneak contraband, including drugs, weapons and SIM cards, into Scottish jails over the past five years.
dozens of visitors have also been warned they will not be allowed to enter HMP buildings because they behaved badly themselves during previous visits. Others have been told they will not be allowed to visit due to social work issues.
in some cases inmates held on remand have been ordered not to have any form of contact with their partners or children until after their case has been dealt with in court.
a total of 747 people have been banned from visiting jails in Scotland over the past five years, according to a Freedom of information request.
glenochil in Clackmannanshire, Low Moss in dunbartonshire and grampian prisons had the highest number of bans.
Yesterday Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary douglas Ross said: ‘While it’s positive that contraband is being intercepted by the Scottish Prison Service, it can’t rest on its laurels.
‘this issue isn’t just about detection – it’s about deterrence. Prisoners are clearly trying to continue
‘This behaviour must not be tolerated’
their criminality within prison walls, and we need to signal loud and clear that this behaviour won’t be tolerated.’
the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said new technologies were continuing to be introduced to help security staff stop illegal drugs entering jails.
Staff are also trained on detection techniques to reduce the number of contraband items. Packages arriving in the post are checked and thousands of illicit items have been intercepted.
a total of 588 packages were seized by security last year. nearly 3,000 packages posted to inmates in jails from family and friends have contained contraband over the last five years.
HMP addiewell in West Lothian saw more than 166 banned items confiscated in 2012 alone.
an SPS spokesman said: ‘We recognise the importance of providing a safe and secure environment for our staff and those in our custody.
‘a comprehensive range of robust security measures are in place to prevent the introduction of contraband into our prisons.
‘Significant investment continues to be made in the development of new technology and staff training to detect, deter and reduce the availability and supply of illegal drugs.’