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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1993 |
| Type | Executive agency of the Scottish Government |
| Jurisdiction | Scotland |
| Headquarters | One Lochside 1 Lochside Avenue Edinburgh EH12 9DJ[1] |
| Employees | 4,900[2] |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | www |
| Map | |
 Scotland in the UK and Europe | |
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TheScottish Prison Service (SPS) (Scottish Gaelic:Seirbheis Phrìosain na h-Alba) is anexecutive agency of theScottish Government tasked with managing prisons andYoung Offender Institutions.
The Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, currently Teresa Medhurst, is responsible for its administration and reports to theCabinet Secretary for Justice, who is responsible for the Scottish Prison Service within the Scottish Government.
There are fifteen prison establishments in the country, one of which is privately managed.[3][4] The SPS employs over 4,000 staff, with its headquarters in One Lochside, located inSouth Gyle,Edinburgh.[5][6]
Teresa Medhurst is Chief Executive of the SPS. She is responsible to Scottish Ministers for the management, performance and future development of SPS. Responsibility for all operational matters is delegated to the Chief Executive by the Director General (Education and Justice).
She is supported by Deputy Chief Executive Linda Pollock.
SPS operates a four directorate model. Each directorate is headed by an Executive Director who are members of both the SPS Advisory Board and the SPS Executive Management Group.
Directors
HMP Addiewell is privately managed under contract to the SPS.
Prior to April 2004, the SPS was directly responsible for escorting convicted prisoners in Scotland, including those appealing their conviction or sentence.[10] The duties of escorting prisoners on remand and managing court custody facilities were the responsibility of the relevant local police force.[10]
In November 2003, the SPS signed a contract on behalf of the Scottish Ministers for a "Prisoner Escort and Court Custody Service".[11] This contract with Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd provided for all prisoner escorting between police cells, court, prisons and hospitals as well as covering escorts from prison such as funerals, hospital appointments and community placements and also operating the court custody units.[10]
In 2012, the court custody and prisoner escort service contract was taken over byG4S.[12]GEOAmey currently run the service, having taken over from G4S in January 2019. The current contract is due to expire in January 2027, subject to an optional extension for a period of up to 4 years.[13]
Some prisoners are detained in a securepsychiatric hospital. This is run by theScottish National Health Service rather than the SPS.
An aftercare scheme, Throughcare, has significantly cut reoffending. The scheme involves getting released prisoners a roof over their heads, sorting out their benefits and medical needs, and showing them that someone cares about them. 78% of former prisoners who received Throughcare did not return to prison over two years. Eleven Scottish prison service sites use Throughcare.[15] "The TSOs [Throughcare Support Officers] use a case management approach, working collaboratively with the prisoner, their family, statutory and third sector service partners, to discuss appropriate support provision and to develop a personalised plan to support the person during their transition from custody back in to the community."[16]
The SPS has been featured in many TV shows includingPrison: First & Last 24 Hours onSky One which was broadcast between 28 October 2015 and 5 December 2016.
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| Investigation | ||
| Prosecution | ||
| Criminal courts | ||
| Punishment | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
