Overcrowding at prison has led to 'insidious consequences', inspectors find

Prison inspectors have highlighted the "insidious consequences of overcrowding" in Scotland's jails in a report.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland visited Low Moss prison, on the outskirts of Bishopbriggs, in August last year.

One of the "most troubling aspects" identified was the high caseload for staff in the prison's substance use team.

However, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said that since the inspection almost 12 months ago, a "full regime and attendance pattern review has been implemented resulting in substantial changes across several areas referenced in the report".

The report said that both SPS staff and NHS workers at the prison "provided care and support for those under the influence of illicit substances" – but added that some nurses on the substance use team were supporting up to 86 patients.

It said that almost two thirds (63%) of inmates there had seen staff abusing, bullying, threating or assaulting other prisoners, with almost half (48%) saying staff had behaved in this way to them.

The inspectors said that while there were "strong operational responses by the prison to violent incidents", the prison required "more strategic prevention-focused activity".

They also stressed the need for "targeted improvements in relation to violence reduction and drug testing".

The prison's social work team was said to be "under the most pressure", with the report highlighting a "significant backlog in risk assessments".

Built with the capacity to hold 784 prisoners, when the inspectors visited Low Moss in August 2025 there were 835 inmates. The report said 100 additional spaces at prison had been created by "overcrowding cells".

It added that "significant management effort" was spent finding suitable accommodation for incoming prisoners – with pressures in the rest of the prison estate meaning Low Moss could take in inmates from as far afield as Peterhead.

"The inspection of HMP Low Moss represented another case study in the insidious consequences of overcrowding in Scottish prisons," it said.

The inspectors said the impact of this was felt by prisoners who shared single cells that were below the minimum space standards recognised by the Council of Europe and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

But the report also said overcrowding had led to the loss of a dedicated first night in custody unit that had been established to help those first entering the prison.

It said this was no longer operating "because of the difficulties of managing the population, leaving a poorer experience for new admissions".

Overcrowding affected the "quality of work staff are able to engage in for those in their care", the report warned.

The inspectors also reported that the prison relied on people working "ex-gratia, overtime and bank shifts to cover the extra staffing agreed for the overcrowding".

They warned: "Using overtime on a long-term basis is unsustainable and, with no sustainable plans to reduce the overpopulation, staff were left exhausted and unwilling to work the extra hours."

They said that the "understandable focus" of prison staff was on ensuring prisoners had their "basic entitlements" – such as visits, meals, time in the fresh air, and recreation.

However this came "at the expense of personal officer work, and prisoners' access to employment, education, case work and gym".

The report said the NHS team at the prison relied on bank staff to cover four out of five backshifts, adding that this "risked compromising the delivery of safe and effective care, particularly in the context of additional demands such as managing prisoners' taking of illicit substances".

But they also found "many impressive things" at Low Moss, with the report stating that "critical areas of the prison" were "functioning well".

The SPS spokesperson said: "We welcome the chief inspector's report on HMP Low Moss, which acknowledges 'impressive' work across key areas of the prison, including reception, recovery and life skills, as well as the positive impact of the prison's partnership with Early Years Scotland in supporting families, despite the population pressures staff continue to manage.

"It is also pleasing that they found a strong culture of collaborative working between the NHS and SPS leading to improved patient outcomes for the prison population."