Castle Huntly open prison underused, say inspectors

HMP Castle Huntly is Scotland's only open prison

Inspectors have criticised the "disappointing underuse" of Scotland's only open prison after a report found it was less than half full.

HMP Castle Huntly, in Longforgan near Dundee, has a capacity of 285 inmates - but housed 100 at its last inspection.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) said there was a "stark choice" unless better use could be made of the prison.

HMIPS said a more radical option might be to close it altogether.

The report said this would allow other prisons to run more open regimes, but warned it would be "hard to replicate the inspiring and restorative tranquillity of HMP Castle Huntly".

Inspectors who visited the prison in June and July said HMP Castle Huntly should be a flagship establishment but "too few prisoners are afforded the opportunity to access it".

The report said: "With numbers so low, the establishment are unable to offer as many community placements and opportunities as they may like, and secondly, individuals are needed for the effective running of the prison.

"This combination negatively impacts the rehabilitative effect the establishment could offer."

'Excellent facilities'

Prisoners are sent to the 15th century castle if they are deemed to be low risk ahead of their release.

The report added: "The Scottish Prison Service therefore has a stark choice.

"It can either continue running an underutilised and expensive facility or unblock the barriers to progression to ensure more effective use is made of HMP Castle Huntly."

It said that apart from its poor accommodation wings, the prison had "some excellent facilities in a unique rural setting that still facilitates placements in urban areas."

The Scottish Prison Service said it welcomed the recognition of "many areas of good practice at HMP Castle Huntly" including its outdoor facilities and the significant and meaningful role officers played in re-integrating prisoners back into the community.

A spokesperson said: "We have been working hard to make further improvements to the progression of people in our care, from the more secure to the open estate, and this has seen a 25% increase in the population of HMP Castle Huntly, since April."