Prisons

Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO Apex Scotland

A conviction should not define a person for life Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine

Some may celebrate their early release from prison but others find themselves homeless (Picture: Ben Birchall)

The simple reasons why convicts are so likely to reoffend on release Karyn McCluskey

Inside E block in HMP Barlinnie

Exclusive Inside Barlinnie: How Scotland's largest prison is hanging by a thread

Michael Stoney, the governor of HMP Barlinnie

Exclusive Barlinnie boss worries about infrastructure collapse 'every day'

The Scottish government is proposing a number of justice reforms

Prison sentences of under 12 months should be abolished, says quango

There are calls for more offenders to be given community -based sentences rather than being imprisoned.

Social workers call for support as more offenders set for community

Scotland's judiciary have criticised the Scottish government's plans for automatic early release of prisoners

Scotland's judges issue warning over SNP's early prisoner release plan

An inmate works at Bastoey open prison in Norway, which makes greater use of such facilities than Scotland (Picture: Sveinung U Ystad)

How Scotland's only open prison, based in 15thC castle, keeps us safe Karyn McCluskey

First Minister John Swinney

John Swinney pressured over bail changes as 'scumbags freed to kill'

The SNP government has pledged to implement a promised sexual offences court

Exclusive SNP ministers fail to find funding for flagship sexual offences court

A record number of drones have been detected outside Scotland’s prisons.

Exclusive Record number of drones carrying drugs and weapons into prisons

Andrew Milligan /PA Wire

Reductions in prison sentences should only be for good behaviour Tom Wood

HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow is due to be replaced

Overcrowded prison system an SNP problem ‘entirely of their making’

Scotland’s prison estate has struggled with overcrowding

Deportation of foreign prisoners must be 'urgently explored' amid rise

Time to re-examine complex relationship between crime and punishment Henry McLeish

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation

Backlash as police officers 'encouraged not to arrest people'

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay, who was the victim of an acid attack in 2015 while working as a journalist

Findlay: My attacker would have been out years earlier under SNP plans

Scotland's high prison population is causing real problems for officers, leading to some quitting the profession (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)

Exclusive SNP urged to follow Burnham and exempt rapists from early release

Kayden was fatally stabbed on Irvine beach on May 17.

Kayden Moy killer appears to boast about murder in Polmont rap video

The Scottish Prison Service has been moving trans inmates housed in line with their gender identity to prisons that match their sex at birth (Picture: David Cheskin)

The problem with all trans inmates serving sentence based on birth sex Vic Valentine

James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh is suffering from its own popularity

Will schools be next to experience SNP's 'solution' to over-crowding? Scotsman comment

It is the Scottish Government's job to ensure there are enough cells for the number of people jailed by the country's courts (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)

SNP policy of setting prisoners free early is about to get even worse Scotsman comment

Scotland sends too many people to prison, but changes to the justice system should not be based simply on the need to reduce overcrowding (Picture: Danny Lawson)

Violent criminals could be released after two third of sentence

Trans prisoners will be moved to accommodation according to their biological sex.

Trans prisoners to be moved to jails according to their biological sex

Co-directors of For Women Scotland Susan Smith, Marion Calder and Trina Budge (left to right) outside Parliament House in Edinburgh, ahead of the start of a judicial review hearing over the Scottish Prison Service's policy for management of transgender inmates

SNP ministers lose court battle over trans prisoners in female jails

Anas Sarwar launched the women's manifesto with Carol Mochan (in the red jacket)

Women's manifesto launch with self-ID rebel 'shows we were wrong'

John Swinney on Tuesday morning

Backlash after Green candidate calls for abolition of prisons

A police officer speaks to a detained man in the cells (Picture: Matt Cardy)

Justice system must be alive to a criminal's sudden moment of clarity Karyn McCluskey

Short spells in prison are not as effective as community sentences in reducing rates of reoffending (Picture: Andrew Milligan)

Scots think 30% of criminals are sent to prison. They're way off Kaigan Carrie

Boys bathe in Water of Leith at Saughton in the hot July of 1955.

Saughton Heritage in Pictures: 27 photos from the 1950s and 1960s

Scotland’s prisons boss has issued a stark warning on overcrowding.

'Excessive' prison overcrowding could lead to 'catastrophic failure'

Scotland should be looking to build more prison capacity to ease the overcrowding crisis (Picture: Victoria Jones)

Jailed for 3 years, out in 10 months: SNP's disastrous prison policy Murdo Fraser

A new report suggests judges should not hand out prison sentences of under two years.

New prison guidance 'gift to criminals' says MSP who received threats

Building more prisons is not the best way to reduce crime in Scotland

‘Build more prisons’ is a snappy slogan that won't make Scotland safer Karyn McCluskey

Scotland sends too many people to prison, but changes to the justice system should not be based simply on the need to reduce overcrowding (Picture: Danny Lawson)

Effective deterrents needed to tackle growing scourge of shoplifting Scotsman comment

Prison officers say the rise in overdoses was caused by overcrowding.

Exclusive Inmates 'guinea pigs' for new drugs flooding prisons as overdoses peak

The Scottish Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission called for a “rethink” of the current approach to sentencing and imprisonment. Picture: Ian Waldie/Getty

Criminals cannot 'dodge jail' after call for sentencing rethink

Scotland sends too many people to prison, but changes to the justice system should not be based simply on the need to reduce overcrowding (Picture: Danny Lawson)

SNP risk sending dangerous message that Scotland is soft on crime Scotsman comment

Co-directors of For Women Scotland (left to right) Susan Smith, Trina Budge and Marion Calder outside Parliament House in Edinburgh, ahead of the start of a judicial review hearing over the Scottish Prison Service's policy for management of transgender inmates

Trans prison ban could 'create risk of suicide', court told

Co-directors of For Women Scotland Susan Smith, Marion Calder and Trina Budge (left to right) outside Parliament House in Edinburgh, ahead of the start of a judicial review hearing over the Scottish Prison Service's policy for management of transgender inmates

Trans prison policy 'could see men seek move to nicer women's jails'

Short-term prisoners could soon be let out of prison after serving less than a third of their sentence.

Prisoners to be released after serving just a third of their sentence

Justice Secretary Angela Constance

SNP minister accused of misleading Parliament on trans prisoner debate

Hundreds of short-term prisoners are to be released early.

One in eight prisoners released early set to end up back behind bars

John Swinney should become the third First Minister to lose their job over gender issues (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)

Swinney must go over trans women in female prisons and grooming gangs Brian Monteith

Almost 1,000 prisoners will be released early by April 2026.

Why honesty is crucial to releasing Scottish prisoners early Rachel Amery

Isla Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham, was initially sent to a women's prison after being convicted of raping two women but then transferred to a men’s jail (Picture: Andrew Milligan)

Swinney risking political career to put trans women in female prisons Susan Dalgety

Years of successful propaganda by the far-right has led many to see the words 'asylum seeker' and 'migrant' as synonyms for 'criminal' and 'sexual predator' (Picture: Dan Kitwood)

Far-right lie that asylum seekers are sex predators is taking hold Joyce McMillan

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