SNP must not wash its hands of Peterhead prison
October 1, 2008 2:28 PM
Alison McInnes meets with police officers in Aberdeenshire.
Liberal Democrat Aberdeenshire MSP Alison McInnes has criticised the Scottish Government for washing its hands of offenders in Peterhead Prison.
The HMP report into Peterhead found long waiting lists for sex offenders' rehabilitation courses and that the prisoners' workshop had been out of action for some months because the door had been jammed.
Commenting, Mrs McInnes said:
"Reports that sex offenders are being released without proper rehabilitation are extremely worrying. I am also disappointed that the prisoners' workshop has been out of action for so long and for such a minor reason.
"It's entirely unacceptable for the Scottish Government to use the new prison, HMP Grampian, as an excuse to wash its hands of offenders in the North East."
Scottish Ministers have defended Peterhead Prison's appalling HMP report, published today, by pointing to the new facility that's due to be built.
The First Minister announced that his administration would build a new prison in the North East more than a year ago, but there has been little information released about the project since.
Mrs McInnes added:
"The report into Peterhead Prison serves to underline the desperate need for the new HMP Grampian facility to be built. I am concerned that more than a year has passed since the First Minister announced the decision to build a replacement prison in Peterhead and yet we have seen little, if any progress.
"We need more detail about the plans for HMP Grampian, specifically, when the planning application will be lodged and how it is to be funded.
"It's all very well for SNP Ministers to pat themselves on the back about this new prison, but we need real details about how and when it's going to be built."
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