INSPECTORS DELIVERED a scathing report on Tayside’s two open prisons yesterday—saying the system for preparing inmates for release at one of them was “worse than chaotic”.

A year’s worth of sentence management at Noranside, near Forfar, had “not been completed,” they said and a “significant backlog” had built up. Castle Huntly, in the Carse of Gowrie, had similar problems and sentence management had “deteriorated.”

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Andrew McLellan said, “Full and proper preparation for release is still not taking place.”

Both prisons also had security failings, with 54 prisoners absconding between January and September last year. The number of prisoners failing drugs tests has also risen at Noranside.

The prisons, with 280 inmates between them, are run by a single governor, Ian Whitehead, in post for almost two years. Integration was meant to deliver common services and efficiency savings. He is understood to be out of the country at present.

In their report, the inspectors admit “many of the things that really matter in a prison” are being done well—including accommodation, food, safety, healthcare and visits, and work placement opportunities for long-term prisoners—but it was not possible to be so positive on other matters.

“Preparation for release is perhaps the biggest disappointment of this report. It was highlighted a year ago as the central question facing the open estate.”

A key part of preparing men for release is “sentence management”, which includes doing detailed assessments of risks and needs. “At the last inspection, sentence management at Noranside was described as chaotic—and the situation is now worse than that.

“The inspectorate was advised that from January until August no sentence management work had been carried out, beyond initial interviews.”

Last March there were 41 outstanding cases needing up to 600 hours of work to complete. By August a further investigation found “there has been no progress on any front.” The inspectors said that since then efforts had been made to tackle the backlog but “it is difficult to understand why the highly unsatisfactory situation identified a year ago has got even worse.

“A year’s worth of sentence management and, importantly, initial and repeat risks and needs assessments of long-term prisoners due for release has not been completed.”

At Castle Huntly, the last inspection found sentence management satisfactory but this time many more assessments had not been done. Reasons given included trained officers being transferred to Noranside, documents not being up to standard and “poor or non-existent action plans.”

The inspector said, “Whatever the reason, the situation had deteriorated.”

Both prisons are also criticised for the induction programmes, that introduce prisoners to the establishments on arrival and carry out an interview with them.

At Castle Huntly this is supposed to happen in the first 72 hours but “prisoners are unanimous in their view that this did not always happen and that most of the information they received came from other prisoners.”

Random drug testing showed 77% of prisoners at Castle Huntly testing negative (up from 64% negative at the previous inspection). Methadone is now being prescribed at the prison.

At Noranside 72% of tests were negative, down on the 83% recorded previously.

From January to September, 42 prisoners absconded from Castle Huntly, 12 from Noranside, but there had been no assaults and the relationship between prisoners and staff was said to be “excellent.”