By Dave Lord

PRISONERS SENTENCED to long stretches for crimes including rape and murder can now be housed at a Tayside open prison up to a year earlier than was previously the case.

Horrified residents living near Castle Huntly, Longforgan, in the Carse of Gowrie, have blasted changes to the criteria for prisoner eligibility, insisting their safety is being disregarded.

In the lastfew months locals claimed to feel “caged” in their own homes due to a perceived lack of security at the prison.

Despite the fact that in the last month alone five people have appeared at Perth Sheriff Court for absconding from the jail, a Scottish Prison Service spokesman has insisted the new rules for eligibility are nothing to worry about.

However, a prison source has claimed officers at Castle Huntly are “worried” by the changes, insisting “high risk” prisoners are being moved in with little regard for public safety.

Among those to abscond from the jail recently was Robert Balmer (23) who had a history of violent behaviour.

He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2002 after being found guilty of charges of assault, robbery and attempted robbery.

When he absconded from Castle Huntly police issued a warning to members of the public and Balmer was linked with a spate of armed robberies in Dundee before he was eventually recaptured. He later died at Ninewells Hospital.

Meanwhile, a prisoner who appeared at Perth Sheriff Court last month after he absconded from the jail claimed he had only walked away to escape the widespread drugs problem there.

Yesterday morning police were called in after a prisoner allegedly attempted to escape. He was found in the grounds within half an hour.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said Tayside police will be investigating the matter.

Changes to open prison eligibility recently introduced mean those convicted of a crime and sentenced to four years can now be considered for open prison after one year—previously it was 15 months.

Meanwhile, a criminal sentenced to 20 years will be eligible for open prison after just eight years, compared to nine previously.

A spokesman for a concerned group of local residents yesterday insisted their safety was being put at risk.

“Again Castle Huntly seems to be putting public safety second,” he said.

“Residents are becoming more and more concerned, especially following...problems with drugs and alcohol and a serious lack of security and control at the prison.

“Local people were stunned to learn that prisoners are now going to be allowed to freely walk through unsecured residential areas, unescorted and without any deterrence, a full year earlier than previously was the case.”

The spokesman called for CCTV to be implemented to beef up security.

“Residents have put up with and tolerated Castle Huntly’s disregard for safety for too long and now require productive resolutions to the problems they are forced to live with,” he continued.

“These problems require nothing but common sense and an interest in the safety of the public.”

The spokesman added that residents feel intimidated and are “at boiling point” over proposals for an extension at the jail.

At a recent public meeting the governor of Castle Huntly admitted he was seeing things which disturbed him “quite deeply” at the establishment.

Earlier this year inspectors delivered a scathing report on the open prison, branding the system for preparing inmates for release as “worse than chaotic.”

Security failings were also flagged up.

Despite the concerns a spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service insisted that extended eligibility for open prison should not cause any additional problems, saying “there are always going to be some people who abscond.”

“These conditions (for increased eligibility) were activated in June,” he said,

“The major impact will be on long-term prisoners who will now be eligible to spend more time in open prison rather than being kept in closed prisons.

“This has to be put into context,” the spokesman continued.

“Every year about 40 or 50 people abscond from prison but there are in excess of 20,000 opportunities to abscond, for example during home visits, work placements and so on.”

The spokesman insisted that open prisons remain a viable and positive option.