MORE than 1400 prisoners in Scotland have had to share a single cell with another inmate, it has emerged.
Humza Yousaf revealed the figures – which show 12% of single cells have more than one prisoner – in a letter to Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson.
Yousaf wrote: “As at Monday January 21, there were 5877 single cells occupied within the prison estate, 710 of which were doubled up.”
Johnson claimed the admissions highlighted that “Scotland’s prisons are bursting at the seams”.
“We shouldn’t have Victorian-era prisons with overcrowded cells in 2019, it is simply not acceptable,” he added. “The SNP Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, must come to Parliament and outline what he will do to end this scandal in our prisons.”
However a Scottish Prison Service spokesman said that prisoners have been in doubled-up cells – particularly at HMP Barlinnie near Glasgow –for decades.
He added: “Our aspiration is for one prisoner to one cell, except for in circumstances where it would be better for prisoners to share. Prison numbers are what they are, and while we want to get to the stage where each prisoner can have their own cell, yes, many prisoners currently are in doubled-up cells.”
He said there had been “unprecedented investment” in the last 12-15 years, allowing the service to modernise facilities and improve conditions. Figures show the majority of Scotland’s prisons operate at – or over – capacity.
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