Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government which prisons are currently operating a restricted regime; when these regimes at each prison are planned to come to an end, and what activities have been (a) stopped permanently, (b) suspended and (c) reduced in each prison as a consequence of the restrictions.
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
Regime restrictions can be applied by a Governor-in-Charge in order to maintain a safe and secure environment for those who live and work in our prisons. These are only ever used as a short-term response to establishment specific pressures. Due to the high prison population we are currently experiencing, we are having to implement local regime restrictions in restricted cases.
SPS recognise the impact that a regime restriction can have on those in our care, and that is why any restrictions are only applied by decision of the Governors in Charge and for as short a period as possible. Due to their often-spontaneous nature and short-term period of application, SPS do not routinely formally record their frequency, length or reason.
I can confirm that there has been no permanent removal of any scheduled activity and that all restrictions remain compliant with the Prison and Young Offenders Rules (Scotland) 2011.