Almost 120 prisoners died behind bars in two years as Scotland’s jails grapple with a twin crisis fuelled by drugs and despair, new figures show.
The death toll is among the highest in Europe with critics claiming Scotland’s creaking prison service is becoming an “international disgrace”.
Scottish Prison Service (SPS) records show there were 115 deaths in custody between 2024 and 2025, with more than four in 10 resulting from drug overdoses or suicide.
There were 16 suicides and eight drug-related deaths last year, and 13 suicides and 12 drug-related deaths in 2024.
Records show one inmate died as a result of “complications of undernutrition” – 48 days after being admitted to HMP Edinburgh on 11 November 2024. Ahmed Ramadan, 26, an Asian Iraqi, was on remand when he died on December 28.
It has also been confirmed that two young inmates found dead just days apart earlier this year both took their own lives.
Daniel Kerr, 19, died on March 8 – just 52 days after being admitted to Polmont Young Offenders Institution on January 15. It is understood Daniel had been placed on suicide watch following his mum’s death just weeks earlier.
Greg Duffy, 28, died at Edinburgh prison on March 13 – less than a week after Daniel passed away at Polmont.
Data shows more than 100 Scottish inmates have died by suicide since 2011, with at least 11 of those being young prisoners in Polmont.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, Stephen Kerr said: “These harrowing figures are a damning indictment of the SNP’s failure to support Scotland’s prisons.
“Drugs are flooding our jails, suicides remain far too common and prison officers are being left to cope with the consequences of years of SNP mismanagement.”
Mr Kerr added: “With drugs, violence, overcrowding and chronic staffing pressures all taking their toll, the Scottish Prison Service is being left to fight a losing battle.
“The SNP cannot keep looking the other way. They must finally get serious about tackling the flow of drugs into prisons and ensuring vulnerable inmates receive the support they need before more lives are lost.”
Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill says the “appalling figures” show Scotland’s prisons are at “breaking point”.
She said: “It is clear not enough is being done to keep prisoners safe and tackle drug use in prison.
“Scotland’s prison system is becoming an international disgrace.
“The SNP government must work with the Scottish Prison Service to ease the pressure on Scotland’s dangerously overcrowded prisons, tackle these deep-rooted issues and make sure prisoners and staff have the support they need.”
Campaigners claim historic overcrowding is forcing prisoners into prolonged confinement and isolation, severely damaging mental health and deepening feelings of despair.
Independent watchdogs, including the Scottish Human Rights Commission, have repeatedly criticised the slow pace of reform in addressing chronic mental health gaps and staff shortages across prison healthcare services.
It comes after the “inhumane” prison suicide prevention strategy was condemned as “unfit for purpose” in a scathing review last year calling for its abolition.
Experts examining the SPS’s “Talk to Me” strategy catalogued a series of systemic failings in their devastating 204-page report.
Led by Professor Graham Towl and Professor David Crighton – experts in suicide prevention and prison mental health – the review made more than 30 recommendations.
Scottish Ministers commissioned the review as part of a wider response to the Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) recommendations following the deaths of Katie Allan, 21, and William Lindsay, 16, at HMP & YOI Polmont in 2018.
Both Katie and William took their own lives in separate incidents in 2018, with Sheriff Simon Collins KC concluding their deaths could have been avoided but for a “catalogue of failures” in the system.
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 delivering a range of actions to improve how we care and support people in our care… which sees suicide prevention as a part of keeping people well, not just responding when things go wrong.”
He added: “Any attempt to bring illicit substances into our establishments poses a significant threat to the health and wellbeing of those in our care, and our staff work hard to keep our establishments safe and secure, using all technological and intelligence tools available to prevent this wherever possible.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The wellbeing of those in the care of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is a priority.
“SPS has strengthened support for vulnerable people in custody through a new suicide prevention policy, enhanced observation arrangements for young people entering custody, the removal of dangerous cell fixtures and the piloting of Signs of Life technology.
“SPS is working hard to tackle the risk posed by illicit substances, using technology and intelligence to prevent drugs reaching prisons, and has introduced window grilles at HMP Perth, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Glenochil to prevent items being passed from drones to individuals in cells, with more being installed elsewhere.”
