'Appalling' condition of HMP Greenock highlighted by top inspector

Wendy Sinclair-Gieben is demanding a clear commitment from the Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service to replace the leaky Edwardian era building amid serious concerns about it continual deterioration.

In a full inspection report published today, jail staff have been praised for fostering ‘excellent’ relationships with inmates in what Ms Sinclair-Gieben has described as ‘almost impossible’ working conditions.

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A continued lack of solutions for multiple issues at the dilapidated prison has been highligted in the report, including problems with its ‘leak-prone’ roof, kitchen ventilation and flooring.

Ms Sinclair-Gieben was keen to emphasise the importance of building a modern replacement for the jail but stressed that all steps must be taken to ensure that the ‘goodness’ of the current prison’s culture was preserved in any move.

She said: “It’s very visibly old, that stands out, it’s got visible old age problems.

“What’s interesting is that Greenock got an awful lot of satisfactory [ratings] in this report, and that is seriously impressive.

“If I could bottle Greenock’s staffing and management and take it into some of my other prisons I’ve inspected, I would dearly like to be able to do so.

“There were really excellent staff-prisoner relationships, and that’s also true with the community, the health care, everybody.

“However, the reality is the buildings are truly appalling and they are constantly needing maintenance.

"The water ingress, the floors, the roofs - the walls in the kitchen need really urgent refurbishment if it’s going to continue working as a prison.

“We have had promises that that will happen so we will be back to see they do happen, but in reality there should be a plan to replace.

“What I don’t want is that Greenock is simply emptied into one of the other prisons, that would not be good.

“I really need to keep the culture and dynamics of Greenock going, it’s a good local prison that supports the local area and everything that’s good about it needs to be kept.”

Plans to replace the prison have been repeatedly shelved by SPS bosses, with no prospect of any move towards replacement until at least 2026.

The SPS spent £8m in 2011 in acquiring the site of the former Greenock High School off Inverkip Road for a proposed new prison - but nothing has happened since.

Among the raft of 68 recommendations included in the inspection report is a demand for SPS and the Scottish Government to build a new jail - in Greenock.

Ms Sinclair-Giebens added: “We want a commitment from the Scottish Government and the SPS that they will replace Greenock.

“There is a site here that they own and it could be HMP Inverclyde.

"For some reason it was stopped previously, but that’s what’s needed – another prison in Greenock that’s modern, purpose built and takes the goodness of Greenock with it.

“We don’t want Greenock to close until that’s agreed and in place.”

Overall, the prison received a satisfactory rating – the second highest available - in seven of the nine standards the inspection assessed it against.

The compassion of staff, the prison’s progress around secondary care, the good work of prison-based healthcare staff around prisoner medication and its peer-mentor programme were among the areas of good practice Ms Sinclair-Giebens singled out during a visit to the site.

The prison was criticised for the lack of dignity afforded by its in-cell toilets, which are located in the corner of each cell and are either open to the room or shielded by a small modesty screen.

The issue was highlighted in the prison’s previous full inspection report, published in 2018, and remains a problem despite this, with inspectors dubbing the situation ‘unsatisfactory’.

It was stated that the biggest barrier to HMP Greenock’s accommodation and facilities being labelled fit-for-purpose was the dampness present within cells.

Prison bosses have had to resort to ‘experimental’ solutions to combat the problem due to several specialist contractors being unable to detect the exact cause of the damp.

Ms Sinclair-Giebens told the Telegraph that inspectors had found that staff were working hard to make the best of the problems faced by the jail.

She added: “What we’ve found was a staff who didn’t want to tell us the physical problems because they were scared we were going to close the prison down.

“They were very willing to work around and manage work arounds and push and drive other areas so that they cope.

“It’s quite a back to the wall mentality, it’s quite impressive actually.

“I don’t think it’s in any way a detriment to them, the staff do an amazing job in very difficult physical conditions.”