Hundreds of inmates at Scotland�s main centre for young offenders are to be given nutritional supplements in a radical bid to reduce violence.
Hundreds of inmates at Scotland's main centre for young offenders are to be given nutritional supplements in a radical bid to reduce violence.
Around 500 inmates at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in Falkirk, along with 500 in England, are being recruited to a £1.4m trial aimed at proving that popping a daily vitamin, mineral and fish oil pill can dramatically cut the number of attacks behind bars.
Initial studies have found that assaults in jails have dropped by as much as two-thirds among those receiving doses of extra nutrients.
Experts at Oxford University are now launching the biggest trial of its kind in an attempt to discover a "recipe for peace" which could be incorporated into prison diets.
They are testing a modified multi-nutrient pill with higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium than previous supplements, which they believe will be even more effective at "feeding" the brain to promote better behaviour.
The findings of the study, which has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, could also be used to improve the eating habits of at-risk children.
Celebrity chef Rick Stein, whose brother ,Professor John Stein, is one of the key university researchers, joined the expert team as they visited Polmont this week to urge inmates to sign up.
The project aims to reduce violence by ensuring that prisoners consume the current government-recommended levels of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.
Mr Stein and his colleagues argue that the idea is as simple as it sounds - feed the brain and it will work better, just as the body performs better on a healthy diet.
Researchers admit that behaviour is widely viewed as being "entirely a matter of free will". But they argue that the functioning of the brain, which governs behaviour, depends on the nutrients it receives.
Mr Stein said: "All we are doing is improving their intake of nutrients with four tablets a day, but we think that that can make their brains work properly.
"Young offenders tend to be very impulsive, they fly off the handle at the least provocation. There is quite a lot of evidence that it is because they fail to pick up social signals.
"A lot of work I have done has been to show that a particular sort of nerve cell in the brain is vulnerable to Omega 3. Without it they are slower to pick up social signals."
Initial research by the team at an English young offenders institution revealed a drop of around one-third in violence. An American study later recorded a fall of 68%.
Participants will receive supplements with their meals every day, with half assigned active pills while the others receive a placebo.
Bernard Gesch, senior researcher with the Oxford University study team, said: "We have made unprecedented changes to our diet over a relatively short space of time without any thought to the impact on the brain."
Ideally, people would include nutrients in their normal diet. But as researchers and the prison governor acknowledge, it is difficult to entice people to go for healthy options with fried fish and pies available.
Rick Stein provided a cookery demonstration at Polmont to encourage greater interest in cooking as well as in the study. As he passed round his raw salmon dish, he said: "If we eat more fish we will be healthier and our brains will work faster."
The verdict among the inmates was mostly amused horror, but the young offenders do seem interested in both the study and cooking.
Scott, 19, who was imprisoned for committing a serious assault, said: "I never ate vegetables until I came here. I would go for healthier options now, like pasta, but I do eat biscuits, chocolate and crisps too. I've never really thought about it affecting your behaviour until now. I would be willing to give it a go."
Six research assistants are currently recruiting inmates at Polmont.
When the project starts next month, each inmate will undergo a series of computer tests assessing a range of factors including concentration and impulsiveness.
They will be given four tablets a day with meals for three months, after which the tests will be repeated.
Prison diet
There are around 30 different vitamins, minerals and fatty acids in the supplements which are designed to give inmates the basic current recommended level of nutrients. They include:
Vitamins C, A, E, K and B
Minerals
Magnesium
Calcium
Potassium
Zinc
Selenium
Fatty acids
Mostly Omega 3, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), plus some Omega 6.
