Kilmarnock Prison The prison was opened 25 March

Kilmarnock Prison The prison was opened 25 March 1999 and is privately run by Serco (formerly known as Premier Prison Services) on behalf of the Scottish Prison Service; the first of its kind in Scotland. The prison, which holds short-term, long-term and remand male adults, currently has 550 inmates with a total capacity of 692.

Structure • Closed mainstream high security establishment. • Operates a similar regime to Schotts, Glenochil and Perth. • It accommodates male adult prisoners – remands, short-term and long-term - and male young offender remands. • Even though it is privately run it operates under the same agenda as the other nationally run prisons. • Prisoners have a toilet cubicle in each cell. • Staffing levels are lower than in SPS prisons. • There has been a considerable turnover of staff resulting in a high proportion of staff being relatively inexperienced.

Programmes and opportunities There a number of activities available to prisoners at Kilmarnock. There are 11 health/sport related activities, many subject courses (Maths, languages, art etc) and also vocational training courses available, which includes: • Catering • Gardening • Horticulture • Industrial • Cleaning • Laundry • Sports Studies On top of these leisure or educational programmes the prison offers offence focused courses such as: • Alcohol Awareness • CARE • Constructs • Drug Awareness • SROBP • Violence Prevention Programme

News Stories In Relation To Kilmarnock Prison • Kilmarnock Prison tops jail booze league: Kilmarnock Prison has the highest rate for seizures of illicit drink of any jail in Scotland. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that in the 12 months up to January 2010 42 batches of contraband booze were discovered at Bowhouse. . Kilmarnock also had the fourth highest level in Scotland for drug seizures within the jail, with 195 drugs stashes uncovered of the year covered by the figures. • Private jail 'cramped but safer' The chief inspector of prisons said Kilmarnock Prison's 500 cells housed 635 inmates. He said the cells were cramped, increasing the risk of fire. But Dr Andrew Mc. Lellan's report found that despite the overcrowding, the jail was safer than it once was. Dr Mc. Lellan said the condition of the cells increased the risk of fire. "The cells in general are small, cramped and have too much in them, " he said. He also concluded that too few inmates had access to the prison workshops. • Jail Defends Security After Horror Murder On CCTV David Martin, 20, yesterday admitted murdering Michael Cameron during a "horrific attack" at Kilmarnock Prison on June 16 last year which was captured on CCTV. One prison officer was present while the attack took place in the health wing, but did not intervene until reinforcement's arrived. This is in line with protocol that three custody officers should restrain any one prisoner. Michael Clarke, a spokesman for Serco, the firm which runs Kilmarnock prison today rejected claims that the prison is understaffed

Sources • www. insidetime. org- Information on the site provided is supplemented with information from the various prison service websites; Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons; information and quotes from recent IMB/Visiting Committee reports; and specialist departments within the Prison Service, government, and regional assemblies/parliaments. • www. news. bbc. co. uk • www. kilmarnockstandard. co. uk • www. scotland. gov. uk

HMP KILMARNOCK BY TODD JEFFRIES OUT.