Mark Smith raises several pertinent issues in relation to the proposed HMP Glasgow and imprisonment generally; including capital construction costs and the purpose of imprisonment (“£1bn for Scotland’s new prison isn’t the real problem”, The Herald, February 10). He did not discuss in detail the revenue costs to operate the prison. Without increasing that funding the new prison will inevitably fail.
Despite the supposed outcry last month, in relation to the costs of feeding prisoners as opposed to hospital patients, the amount spent on prisoners’ food is consistently low. Hospital patients may be expected to eat hospital food for a few days, weeks or even months. Patients could always supplement the food provided by food brought in by family. By contrast, prisoners must eat prison food for the duration of their sentence, which could last years or even decades.
There is no statutory basis to determine food quality or quantity of prisoners’ food. Who knows what long-term effects this is having on prisoners? Not the Scottish Government which has replied to freedom of information requests to say it has not carried out or commissioned any longitudinal studies on prisoners’ physical or mental health.
It follows that it cannot say what affect existing mattress quality has on prisoners’ sleep and so on their physical and mental health. We can choose whatever mattress suits our needs, with anything from the thickness of the mattress to the support within the mattress all up for our choice. Prisoners however must make do with a 10cm foam mattress.
What about access to the outdoors? We can go whenever and to wherever we choose. We are encouraged to get outside and enjoy nature, whether that’s a walk in the woods, a stroll along the beach or a climb up a mountain. Not so for prisoners. They are allocated a fixed period of one hour each day when they can go out of the prison buildings to the prison yard. They must use the period allocated or that opportunity to be outdoors has gone for another day.
I agree with Mark Smith that the increase in capital costs of the new prison is not the fundamental issue, which is what the purpose of imprisonment is. Regardless of whether we want prisoners to be punished or rehabilitated presumably we all want prisoners not to re-offend once released. That is why providing education and training suitable for life outside prison is essential. Again, that means increasing the budget accordingly. For instance, how many prisoners receive computer training? How many have access to computers in their cells where they can continue their studies or even simply keep in touch with family? Very, very few is the answer to the first question and none is the answer to the second one. That is simply not good enough. What is the point in ignoring what is now part of our own everyday lives?
I hope the new prison is built but I also hope all prisons receive full, ongoing funding for all the work they should be doing.
David Logan, Milngavie.
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• Amidst all of the recent coverage of the dramatic rise in cost of the new prison which will replace Barlinnie, including Mark Smith's article, I should like to share some figures given to me by a current member of the prison service.
The new prison is designed to hold a maximum population of 1,344. Barlinnie was intended to hold a population no more than a little less than 880. That looks like a problem has been solved.
Last Friday (February 7), however, the prison population in overcrowded Barlinnie was 1,390.
The new prison would appear to be unfit for purpose before it has even been completed.
Brian Johnston, Torrance.
Decline of the BBC
I read Douglas Cowe’s letter (February 11) re Radio Scotland and nodded my head in agreement. The BBC in general has gone to hell in a handcart. I would be extremely interested to see what the viewing figures for BBC Scotland’s new flagship Reporting Scotland: News at Seven programme on the BBC Scotland channel are. We now get an hour and a half of oft-repeated news.
On the BBC News at Six, we get reports of the NHS in England, the prison service in England, house building in England and anything else in England. Very rarely is there a report of anything relevant in the "colonies" and if there is, it is via its own reporter giving an almost identical report to that given by the local reporter.
News anchors are flown out to cover Israel and the US even though they have their embedded reporters there. They are also flown out to emergencies when the last thing that is needed is another reporter on the ground to be looked after.
It is our licence fee they are wasting.
Steve Barnet, Gargunnock.
Subjective clause
You report that scientists have discovered that male Hoff crabs grow bigger claws than females "so that they can fight each other for a mate" ("Male ‘Hoff’ crab has bigger claws for fighting", The Herald, February 7).
The observation that they have bigger claws is no doubt correct, but the inference, like so much Darwinism, is teleological rather than scientific. The conclusion might be correct but doesn't follow logically from the observation.
An individual would have an advantage only if competitors were unable to achieve similar modification by natural selection. The theoretical advantage would immediately be cancelled out.
Robin Dow, Rothesay.
Cinemas galore
It was interesting to note memories of two Glasgow Southside cinemas (Letters, February 6 & 10). Also in Battlefield was the Mayfair. Shawlands had The Waverly, Elephant and Embassy. Two miles south was the Tudor which also had a tearoom and an upstairs ballroom. To complete the circuit was the Toledo (at Muirend) and the Rialto (latterly the George) and the Kingsway (the Vogue).
The area was well served by the cinema promoters of that era. Despite the comprehensive choice on offer queues for entry were commonplace, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Allan C Steele, Giffnock.
WWII dogfight
On a Saturday evening, the local cinema had two shows, with seats reserved. One lady and her elderly mother always had the same seats: font row, balcony. At one showing of The Dambusters, the reels finished up in the wrong order.
This resulted in the dams being burst before the bombs were ready. More importantly, Guy Gibson’s labrador was killed, only to be seen later running around the airfield. This drew a loud call from the elderly lady: "I thought that [expletive] dug wis deid!"
Ian Lyell, Mauchline.
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