Packed prison stats criticised by Labour MSP

More than 1,400 prisoners in Scotland have had to share a single cell with another inmate, new figures have revealed.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said 12% of Scotland’s single cells have more than one prisoner.

The practice was criticised by Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson, who said it showed Scotland’s prisons are “bursting at the seams”.

He added: “We shouldn’t have Victorian-era prisons with overcrowded cells in 2019.

“It is simply not acceptable.

“The Justice Secretary must come to parliament and outline what exactly he will do to end this scandal in our prisons.”

However, a Scottish Prison Service spokesman said it was not a new situation and that prisoners have been in doubled-up cells – particularly at HMP Barlinnie, near Glasgow – for decades.

He said: “Our aspiration is for one prisoner to one cell, except for in circumstances where it would be better for prisoners to share.

“Prison numbers are what they are, and while we want to get to the stage where each prisoner can have their own cell, yes, many prisoners currently are in doubled-up cells.”

But he added there had been “unprecedented investment” in the prison service in recent years to enable “modern, fit-for-purpose facilities”.