Almost 600 incidents of self-harming were reported at Addiewell – Scotland’s only private prison – in less than four years, almost double that of any other Scottish jail.
The number of incidents, revealed in a freedom of information request, were for self-harm by cutting, which is associated with emotional distress and poor mental health and wellbeing.
In total Addiewell recorded 590 incidents from January 2021 until the end of August 2024, an average of 13 every month. Critics said the figures should raise alarm bells and called for action.
The prison, run by outsourcing company Sodexo, has been subject to serious concerns about violence, and high levels of deaths in custody. Last year more prisoners died in Addiewell than at any other prison.
Earlier this week The Ferret revealed that despite paying penalties to the Scottish Prison Service due to failure to meet agreed standards, Addiewell Limited – the company that owns it – has paid more than £3m to shareholders in less than two years.
A spokesperson for the prison said it was “subject to the same range of intensive scrutiny as all prisons” and was “building on progress” made to improve the prison’s safety and operation record.
Healthcare at the prison is delivered by NHS Lothian. The health board also serves HMP Edinburgh. That prison logged 208 incidents of self-harm by cutting over the time period – the third highest according to the data.
NHS Lothian has been asked to comment. The Scottish Prison Service said it worked hard to keep prisoners safe and supported.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures, said Scotland’s approach to imprisonment was “failing” and called for action.
Justice spokesperson for the party Liam McArthur MSP added: “Huge numbers of people, many with complex problems, are being sent to a place proven to increase their likelihood of reoffending and where incidents of self-harm are on the rise.
“Addiewell prison has been a magnet for such behaviour with regular reports of assaults and self-harm. Prisons can be a pressure cooker but the government has a responsibility to ensure high safety standards are maintained across the entire prison estate.”
He claimed a “properly-funded justice system that also includes greater use of robust and effective community sentences”, was needed, striking a balance between punishment and rehabilitation “in order to reduce reoffending and make communities safer.”
Despite fears being raised about safety at Addiewell prison, its most recent report from the Scottish prison inspectorate commended management for making progress towards improving the jail. However the prison continued to score a red rating – indicating serious concerns – for health and wellbeing.
Highest level of self-harm annually
The self harm figures show that in the first eight months of 2024 there were 110 incidents of self-harm by cutting recorded at Addiewell.
Most other prisons did not give exact figures, but reported having fewer than five incidents (<5) in many of the months of last year. But the next highest appears to be HMP Kilmarnock with a maximum of 55 incidents in 2024. Kilmarnock was formerly run by private company Serco but handed back to the Scottish Prison Service in March.
Figures for 2023 show 203 incidents of cutting at Addiewell, almost 2.5 the next highest number. That year a whistleblower shared reports with The Ferret which suggested mental health and addiction support were often hard to access or had long waiting lists.
The annual number of reported incidents of cutting in 2021 and 2022 were also significantly higher than the numbers recorded at other prisons.
Sarah Armstrong, a Glasgow University professor of criminology who researches deaths in custody, said: “Addiewell saw more people dying in 2024 than in Barlinnie, a prison of much greater size. That combined with the level of self-harm should ring alarm bells.
Self-harm levels are a sign of despair and a lack of support to cope with threatening, dulling environments. The entire Scottish prison system is in crisis.
Professor Sarah Armstrong, Glasgow University
“Prisons in Scotland are dangerous, and we are seeing this in escalating levels of death and self-harm. Self-harm levels are a sign of despair and a lack of support to cope with threatening, dulling environments. The entire Scottish prison system is in crisis.”
She claimed there was a lack of urgency in taking action on the recommendations of an independent review into prison deaths completed four years ago and said there was a desperate need for a change in prison culture.
Fulton McGregor, an SNP MSP who has previously raised concerns about the financing of Addiewell – agreed under a Private Finance Initiative contract under the last Scottish Labour and Lib Dem coalition – said “public safety, rehabilitation and wellbeing should not be driven by private profit”.
“That is why it has been SNP policy for 18 years that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector,” he added.
Complex mental health needs
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said people arrived with “complex mental health needs and vulnerabilities” and insisted staff worked hard alongside the NHS to support and keep people safe.
“Everyone who enters custody is assessed by both prison staff and NHS partners to identify exactly what mental health, social care, substance misuse, and other support is needed. We also have peer mentors and listeners, trained by the Samaritans, to support people when they first arrive and throughout their time in custody.”
Last year it introduced dedicated phone lines in every prison, so families could raise mental health concerns about their loved ones and the prison service mental health strategy for 2024-2034 aims to create environments where people feel able to seek help and support.
Cover image thanks to iStock/shostak
