Damning report on rights’ infringements in Scotland’s prisons
The Council of Europe visited several prisons and police stations in 2018 to investigate their progress around protecting human rights.
Their report found that serious and urgent action is needed to address many rights issues, describing it as an emergency. These include:
- Far too many prisoners being kept isolated and in their cells for 23 or 24 hours day, sometimes for weeks or even months at a time
- Overcrowding means that prisoners have very little space per person
- Women with serious mental ill health are not being given proper treatment
- The police complaints’s system is opaque, and the system of detainee complaints needs overhauled
- People should not be detained over the weekend in inadequate police cells
The Scottish Human Rights Commission called for urgent action by the Scottish Government to address these serious concerns.