Demands to save prisons body mount

Lucy Adams

Chief Reporter

Monday 6 February 2012

THE Scottish Human Rights Commission has expressed serious concerns about plans to cut prison visiting committees.

KENNY MacASKILL: Minister aims to end visiting committees.

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Lucy Adams Chief Reporter

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) is also monitoring the situation following the decision by ministers to replace them with an advocacy service.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission said that without independent monitoring prisoners' rights could be breached and it called for visiting committees to be made fully independent – in line with England and Wales.

In a statement, the commission said it was important to have independent bodies visiting prisons regularly "in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". It said: "The commission welcomes the creation of a new advocacy service for prisons, but considers that this should run alongside the human rights protections that are currently provided by prison visiting committees." The Herald has learned that prisoners at Cornton Vale and Castle Huntly are now asking the Scottish Prison Service's permission for petitions in support of visiting committees.Figures seen by The Herald show that members of the committees ministers plan to axe made 226 visits to women in HMP Cornton Vale last year, responded to 165 requests and dealt with 426 issues raised.On Thursday, Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, highlighted the case of Barlinnie Prison, which had 6400 admissions last year but only 14 requests to see the visiting committee.The Scottish Government said the Barlinnie figures are more in line with the rest of Scotland than Cornton Vale, but members of the committees said this does not reflect the high number of requests they receive from young offenders and female inmates.Established in 1871, the committees were told in December by Mr MacAskill they would no longer be required. However, this week he said he would conduct further consultations. Neil Powrie, convener of the Association of Visiting Committees (AVC), said: "I would urge the Justice Minister, in the face of almost totally unanimous opposition, to think again, consult, as he suggested, with a view to recasting VCs in a new mould with a more focused role under his direction. "Let us have a modern independent monitoring body fit for the 21st century and for which the AVC, almost alone, has been lobbying for many years."Do not axe us – support us, and give us the tools and the backing to do the job." In a letter in The Herald last week, Shaben Begum, director of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance, said the majority of prisoners already have a right to independent advocacy.The letter added: "Independent advocacy can be an additional safeguard ... but would not replace such systems."Tory MSP Annabel Goldie said she was pleased the Minister had agreed to consult again on the committees. "Neither the Scottish Government nor the Scottish Prison Service has provided a convincing argument as to why visiting committees are unnecessary," she said. "The Justice Secretary used one example where demand is small but that is not reflective of what is happening elsewhere." A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: "We are considering how to build on the role performed previously by visiting committees by introducing a dedicated independent prisoner advocacy service to support prisoners in ways which match modern needs."Letters: Page 15

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Demands to save prisons body mount

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