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Chamber and committees

Scotland鈥檚 Prisons at Breaking Point

  • Submitted by: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
  • Motion reference: S6M-17913

That the Parliament notes the recently published report, Breaking Point, by the Prison Officers Association, which reflects the views of the union's members on the overcrowding crisis in Scotland’s prisons; understands that 543 prison officers responded to a survey, with 95.95% saying that they agreed or strongly agreed that rising prisoner numbers make jails more dangerous for staff and prisoners, 91.03% saying that overcrowding increases tensions in Scotland’s prisons and 80.21% saying that they agreed or strongly agreed that the establishment they work in does not have enough staff to cope with rising prisoner numbers; is concerned at reports that the impact of overcrowding is prisoners being left locked up in their cells for longer, reduced prisoner access to exercise and fresh air, fewer opportunities to engage in education or rehabilitation projects, rising levels of substance misuse and more incidents of violence against staff and prisoners; is further concerned about the reported impact on the physical and mental health of staff, rising sickness absence levels and the effect on the health and wellbeing of prison officers who are expected to work in such an environment until they are 68 years old, and calls on the Scottish Government to take this report seriously by urgently addressing the concerns that it raises and by taking on board suggestions made by the staff who are working on the frontline of what it considers is an overcrowding crisis, to improve the situation.


Supported by: Paul Sweeney