Eight delays to Barlinnie as staff and prisoners face regular assaults

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today warned of monumental mismanagement and pressure cooker conditions as he revealed that the Scottish Government has had to adjust the timeline for the delivery of the proposed HMP Glasgow prison on eight occasions since it was originally proposed a decade ago. It is now expected to be completed in 2028.

A parliamentary question from Mr McArthur has also revealed that there have been almost a thousand assaults on prisoners and staff in the current Barlinnie prison in the past five years.

Between Jan 2020 and December 2024, there were 222 assaults on prison staff and 776 assaults on prisoners at HMP Barlinnie.

Mr McArthur said:

“It’s been clear for years that Barlinnie is out-of-date. The poor state of facilities and pressure cooker conditions are putting both prisoners and prison staff at risk.

“Sadly, the SNP government have monumentally mismanaged the replacement for Scotland’s biggest prison since day one. We are now on our eighth round of delays, with no real guarantee that there won’t be more.

“Over the years, the SNP have failed to do enough to tackle dangerous levels of overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons. Improving both facilities and conditions at Barlinnie can help staff work with individuals to cut the chances of reoffending.

“We need to see a serious and sustained effort by the Justice Secretary to get this vital project back on track.”