Question reference: S5W-18144
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 9 August 2018
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 August 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prison staff have been (a) disciplined, (b) dismissed, (c) charged and (d) prosecuted for smuggling illicit items into prisons in each year since 2013, also broken down by prison.
Answer
I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
The number of SPS employees who have been disciplined for bringing prohibited items into a prison is set out in the following table, and is broken down by year and prison. In accordance with data protection legislation, where the figure is fewer than 5 employees, this is indicated on the table to maintain confidentiality.
2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 2017-2018 | Grand Total | |
Cornton Vale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Edinburgh | 0 | <5 | 0 | <5 | 0 | <5 |
Inverness | 0 | 0 | 0 | <5 | 0 | <5 |
Low Moss | <5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | <5 |
Polmont | 0 | <5 | 0 | 0 | <5 | <5 |
Shotts | 0 | 0 | <5 | <5 | 0 | <5 |
Grand Total | <5 | <5 | <5 | <5 | <5 | 9 |
Of the 9 cases in the table above, fewer than 5 employees were dismissed for bringing prohibited items into prisons.
One employee was charged and prosecuted in 2015-16 for bringing prohibited items into HMP Inverness.