Scottish Prison Case Study
SCOTTISH CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1
Problems in Scotland’s Prisons
Prisons in Scotland have a purpose of enforcing punishment which involves deprivation of liberty for a set period of time. However, imprisonment may be intended to act as a deterrent to re-offending, on both an individual and general basis. Prison services also provide rehabilitation to provide prisoners with the education, skills and opportunities which will change them and help them when they are released from prison and back into society. In the worst case scenarios criminals are put in prison under public protection which provides safety to the public. The aim of the prison service is to reduce re-offending and offer value for money for the taxpayers and ensuring the public …show more content…
Mandatory drug testing takes place in every Scottish prison to provide some indication of the level of drug abuse. The average percentage of prisoners testing positive on such tests runs at about 37% within a range from 57% (at Aberdeen) to 10% (at Peterhead). However, many prisoners entering prison already have a drug problem and the in-prison rate is about half the total. Drug misuse also involves major security issues for prisons in terms of preventing drugs being imported by visitors and others. The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) is an important information source on the use of drugs in Scotland. The SDMD provides a wealth of information on drug treatment that Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADPs), their individual members and a range of different organisations can use to influence policy, strategies or research to improve the services available to help people with drug problems recover. Information is collated by drug treatment services in the NHS and from prisons. Drug problems are highly common in prisons with 56% testing positive for illicit drug use, including illicit use of prescribed drugs, on admission to custody. In the last year, there were over 1,900 drug finds in prison. Once in prison, reported drug use falls to 22%, however 3% continue to inject whilst in custody with 71% sharing illegal injecting equipment. One in five of prisoners (21.5%) are prescribed methadone with 23% reporting being on a reducing dose. Benzodiazepines, opiates and cannabis continue to be the main drugs of choice for prisoners within the Scottish Prison Service. (Scot.Gov,
Problems in Scotland’s Prisons
Prisons in Scotland have a purpose of enforcing punishment which involves deprivation of liberty for a set period of time. However, imprisonment may be intended to act as a deterrent to re-offending, on both an individual and general basis. Prison services also provide rehabilitation to provide prisoners with the education, skills and opportunities which will change them and help them when they are released from prison and back into society. In the worst case scenarios criminals are put in prison under public protection which provides safety to the public. The aim of the prison service is to reduce re-offending and offer value for money for the taxpayers and ensuring the public …show more content…
Mandatory drug testing takes place in every Scottish prison to provide some indication of the level of drug abuse. The average percentage of prisoners testing positive on such tests runs at about 37% within a range from 57% (at Aberdeen) to 10% (at Peterhead). However, many prisoners entering prison already have a drug problem and the in-prison rate is about half the total. Drug misuse also involves major security issues for prisons in terms of preventing drugs being imported by visitors and others. The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) is an important information source on the use of drugs in Scotland. The SDMD provides a wealth of information on drug treatment that Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADPs), their individual members and a range of different organisations can use to influence policy, strategies or research to improve the services available to help people with drug problems recover. Information is collated by drug treatment services in the NHS and from prisons. Drug problems are highly common in prisons with 56% testing positive for illicit drug use, including illicit use of prescribed drugs, on admission to custody. In the last year, there were over 1,900 drug finds in prison. Once in prison, reported drug use falls to 22%, however 3% continue to inject whilst in custody with 71% sharing illegal injecting equipment. One in five of prisoners (21.5%) are prescribed methadone with 23% reporting being on a reducing dose. Benzodiazepines, opiates and cannabis continue to be the main drugs of choice for prisoners within the Scottish Prison Service. (Scot.Gov,