A new report reveals that four people die in custody in Scotland every week. Meanwhile, the head of the Scottish Prison Service Prisons is calling for the release of inmates early, as overcrowding reaches a “tipping point”

The report, by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice revealed that, in Scotland, an average of four people die in in state custody every week. More than 240 people died in prison or custody between October 2022 and September 2023. The majority of these deaths occurred while under detention pursuant to the Mental Health Act (144), followed by 39 in prison deaths, and 39 people died after police contact.

The research team also carried out 22 Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) which are mandatory for deaths in custody which comprises predominantly deaths in prison. Off 22 FAIs, twenty died in prison, one in police custody and one in migration detention. The backlog of inquiries remains, and the FAIs are not keeping up with the deaths of individuals in detention.

Professor Armstrong said “We identified reoccurring themes in these deaths such as inappropriate care for people with drug issues, ignoring medical histories when assessing suicide risk and delays in medical treatment. Of four suicides in prison investigated in FAIs, not a single one made identified any precautions, defects or made recommendations to prevent future deaths.”

At the same time, the head of the Scottish Prison Service has highlighted the overcrowding of Scottish prisons. In some prisons, the ratio of prisoners to staff is 23:1. Ms Medhurst, head of the Scottish Prison Service, said “we cannot take any more. Prisons become very unsafe. The atmosphere, the tension, the volatility increases.” This mirrors the similar capacity crisis in England and Wales.