Question reference: S5W-29463
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 28 May 2020
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 June 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 21 April 2020, when mobile phones will be distributed to those currently in the care of the Scottish Prison Service.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS is working with a mobile phone provider to deliver a service to all those currently in the care of SPS.
It is anticipated that mobile phones will start to be distributed to individuals from mid-June 2020.
In addition to the initiatives mentioned above a range of other actions have been taken to encourage positive family contacts, including;
- The extension of the email a prisoner scheme across the whole prison estate’
- The extension likewise of the voicemail a prisoner service.
- The provision of additional phone credits (£2.50 a week) to prisoners.
- Staff are working to ensure that individuals have as much access as possible to the PIN phone system.
- SPS have suspended charges for in-cell televisions to ensure people have access to cash for making phone calls.