Feuding gangland villains are “destabilising” overcrowded Scottish jails as “burnt out” prison guards struggle to keep rival gangs apart.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) warns housing rising numbers of rival mobsters in dangerously close quarters is fuelling “serious concern” among staff.
A new SPS report confirms the service is grappling with “several complex issues causing additional strain on the organisation”.
As well as using segregation as a means of maintaining order, prisoner rehabilitation and work programmes are also being cancelled as pressures ratchet up.
They say growing numbers of inmates, including sex offenders, are being kept in segregation under “rule 95” for their own or others’ safety, fuelling fears over the stability of Scotland’s prisons.
Critics warn “unprecedented levels of threats” from jailed mobsters, overcrowding, bullying and rampant drug abuse inside Scotland’s crisis-hit prison system are placing overworked staff under intolerable pressure, with rising numbers of officers being assaulted.
Around 660 inmates are said to have tartan mafia links resulting in prison bosses reportedly having to play a “daily game of chess” to keep deadly rivals apart.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP said: “These dire warnings from the SPS point to a system at breaking point and struggling to segregate dangerous prisoners.
“It’s time the Nationalists realised the huge toll on staff, who time and time again are under threat of violence from inmates in jails that are bursting at the seams.
“The SNP’s reckless crusade to empty Scotland’s jails is not the answer.”
Mr Kerr added: “It’s high time that the SNP finally produced a long-term strategy to tackle record prisoner numbers while increasing capacity by delivering the long overdue new jails in Glasgow and the Highlands.”
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill MSP said while operational decisions were a matter for the SPS, where staff have concerns “these should be listened to”.
She said: “Scotland’s prison population is at a record high, yet the SNP government does not have any meaningful plan to tackle the crisis, with prisoners and staff being put at risk as a result.
“Hardworking staff are proud of the job they do but the failure of SNP ministers is leaving officers feeling burnt out, unsupported and prevented from doing the job they are employed to do.
“A rushed repeat of the early release scheme is the only solution that the SNP government has to address this failure, but all the evidence suggests that this will do nothing to impact the long-term growth trend.”
SPS Chief Executive Teresa Medhurst, who has been leading the firefight to tackle a series of crises and controversies engulfing the SPS, has previously flagged up concerns over the “untenable situation” with the Scottish Government.
Ms Medhurst, who retires early next year after six years in charge, has again written to Justice Secretary Angela Constance about the “population crisis” and SPS’ “ability to maintain a safe and stable service”, according to a new report.
The prison population overall is becoming increasingly complex as more older prisoners and groups need to be separated, with overcrowding and double cell occupancy said to be negatively impacting inmates’ mental health.
The SPS report says: “Resourcing is also a concerning factor for the stability of running safe and full regimes with programmes being cancelled which is causing extra strain on residential staff.”
Successive early prisoner releases have failed to significantly ease the pressure build up within jails which are still crammed with around 8430 inmates — plus more than 100 on home detention curfew.
Shock figures revealed earlier this year that one prison officer was assaulted almost every day while on duty in Scotland’s increasingly violent jails.
Data shows 350 officers were attacked during 2024/25 – the highest number in five years with critics claiming violence behind bars is spiralling out of control.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We have been managing an extremely high and complex population for more than two years and this continues to place a strain on all areas of the organisation.
“It has an increasingly destabilising effect on our establishments, with staff unable to do the critical work of building relationships and supporting rehabilitation, and prisoners frustrated by the impact on their daily lives and the opportunities available to them.
“We need to see a reduction in our population, so we fully support people in our care, reduce their risk of reoffending, and help build the safer communities we all want to see.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the serious challenges facing the prison system, which is why the Justice Secretary announced emergency proposals to tackle prison overcrowding, with stringent safeguards to protect public safety.
“We continue to work closely with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and partners through the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to disrupt organised crime and reduce the harm these groups cause.”
