Prison ‘could be shut down’

A CONSERVATIVE politician has warned that HMP Greenock could be closed down if urgent action isn’t taken after its poor condition was laid bare at Holyrood.

Tory shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene quizzed HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland Wendy Sinclair-Gieben alongside fellow MSPs at a recent meeting of the Scottish Parliament criminal justice committee.

The top civil servant highlighted the poor condition of the ageing jail and told committee members there were scores of cells out of use because of water ingress.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Greene said: “The eye-opening evidence from the chief inspector was absolutely damning in laying out the dire state of Greenock Prison.

“The fact that millions of pounds of taxpayers money has already been spent on a [new] site without any groundwork being done for over a decade is completely unacceptable when budgets are so tight.

“We are still years away from any potential replacement Greenock Prison, so costs will only increase further as the building falls apart. The damning comments from Wendy Sinclair-Gieben should prompt urgent action from SNP ministers.

“They have overseen a continued and rapid decline at Greenock Prison to the point where it has become almost unfit for purpose and risks being closed altogether.”