Figures reveal more prisoners died from suicide and drugs overdoses than natural causes in Scottish prisons last year.
Scottish Prison Service (SPS) data shows there were 17 drug overdoses and 16 suicides in 2024/25 – 33 combined – compared to 28 from natural causes.
Deaths due to drugs or suicide may prove to be even higher as seven remain “unascertained” pending investigation, according to the SPS.
The overall death toll behind bars rose to 64 last year, making it the highest in more than decade and a 60% increase compared to the 40 deaths reported in the previous year.
Penal reformers now warn some of the deaths attributed to natural causes may also have been preventable if prisoners had better access to health care.
Analysis shows at least six inmates who took their own lives were on remand or untried, meaning they had not been convicted of any crime. Others tragically took their own lives within a couple of days or weeks of being imprisoned.
More prisoners died at Addiewell – Scotland’s only privately run jail – last year than at any other, including Barlinnie, the country’s largest and oldest jail.
The West Lothian jail recorded 12 prisoner deaths while there were 10 at Glasgow’s crumbling Victorian prison dubbed the Bar-L.
Addiewell has less than half of the prisoners with around 700 compared to 1400 inmates at the notorious Glasgow jail.
The news comes as the Scottish Government orders the early release of another 800 inmates in a desperate bid to alleviate pressure cooker conditions amid chronic overcrowding, rising violence, officer assaults, drug abuse and battles between rival organised crime gangs.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: “These harrowing figures are yet another tragic symptom of the crisis engulfing Scotland’s prisons under the SNP.
“They are a damning indictment of the Nationalists’ failure to get a grip on narcotics infiltrating jails whether by drug-soaked mail or drones.
“With a drugs epidemic, escalating violence, staff shortages and a lack of capacity, the Scottish Prison Service is being left to fight a losing battle without the tools it needs.
“Dedicated prison officers must be given the resources to tackle this chaos – that means more sniffer dogs, better screening technology and the provision of robust mental health support.”
Records show there were a further seven suicides and 12 “unascertained deaths” in the first six months this year.
The Howard League For Penal Reform Scotland said they were “very concerned” about the high number of suicide and drugs deaths.
They also warned against complacency over the number of deaths attributed to natural causes, insisting they could be masking issues over prisoners’ access to health care.
A spokesperson said: “SPS’s recently published mental health strategy is only as good as the conditions in which it can be applied and we know that those conditions are currently woeful.
“We know that SPS’s suicide prevention policy ‘Talk to Me’ is being reviewed at the moment and that since its inception suicides have increased significantly.
“A vicious circle of despair can ensue. Add in a lack of access to rehabilitation opportunities and hope gets lost because the present is unbearable and the future looks so uncertain.”
The spokesperson added: “What’s recorded as deaths due to natural causes shouldn’t be dismissed either given that serious questions have been raised regarding prisoners’ access to healthcare which, as we know, is supposed to be equitable to that available in the community and very often isn’t.”
The SPS say their Talk To Me suicide prevention programme which “involves regular observations and agreed support”, is undergoing a full overhaul.
An SPS spokesperson said: “Every death, whether in prison custody or in our communities, is a tragedy for all those who knew and supported the individual.
“We are determined to deliver systemic change, at pace, to how we support people in our care, in a way which will be enduring, transparent, and impactful.”
An HMP Addiewell spokesperson said: “We can confirm there have been a total of 12 deaths in custody in 2024 and one in 2025.
“Our thoughts continue to be with families and friends affected. Every death in a custodial setting, including those by natural causes, is investigated and is subject to a Fatal Accident Inquiry.”
