Prison Officers Association say Perth Prison conditions "recipe for disaster"

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Overcrowding at HMP Perth, and other jails across Scotland, is “a recipe for disaster”, according to the prison officers union.The assistant secretary of the Prison Officers Association Scotland Phil Fairlie made the comment following this week’s BBC Disclosure investigation.Scottish Prison Service (SPS) head Teresa Medhurst had told the programme that the situation was reaching a “tipping point” and emergency powers could be needed to release inmates early.The BBC had been given unprecedented access to film at HMP Perth, Scotland’s oldest jail, for five days.At the time of the visit there had been 662 prisoners there.

Its capacity is 630.Perth Prison governor Andy Hodge said population pressure was forcing the prison to put more people into one room, which can lead to violence among inmates.And figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show self-harm in Scottish prisons is up by almost 40 per cent in the past year – from 587 incidents to 818.Responding to the BBC’s Disclosure programme Mr Fairlie said: “This programme highlights what we as a trade union have been saying for some time now.“The complexity of the combined issues when you add significant overcrowding with chronic drug use, widespread mental health issues, and ever increasing violence and self-harm is a recipe for disaster.“The need to manage those numbers down the way is here and now, not some time in the future.“The support services required to provide the specialist help prisoners need is adding to the crisis and expecting prison officers to just keep going without any end in sight is simply not acceptable.“The mental health issues don’t stop at the prisoners.“The cost for staff in working daily in such an environment is taking its toll on