The number of people dying in prison in Scotland has risen 60% in a year to 64, making the mortality rate one of the highest in Europe, according to a report.<\/p>\n
The Scottish Centre for Crime<\/a> and Justice Research (SCCJR) said deaths rose from 40 in 2023 to 64 in 2024.<\/p>\n The majority of deaths in prison were caused by a health condition, suicide or were drug-related, the report said.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Two people taken to hospital after man struck by car<\/a><\/p>\n The SCCJR found 244 people died in custody or under state control in 2024.<\/p>\n The majority of these \u2013 138 \u2013 were among people detained on mental health grounds, 19 were after police contact, and a further three were in police custody.<\/p>\n The SCCJR said 16 young people died in care, three people died while detained in immigration centres, and one inpatient with learning disabilities died while living in hospital.<\/p>\n Professor Sarah Armstrong at the University of Glasgow<\/a>, who led the SCCJR research team, said: \u201cLast year we reported there were 40 deaths in prisons in 2023, which has now surged to 64 in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is of real concern that the mortality rate in our prisons has more than doubled in the last decade and is now among the highest in Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we looked at international comparators, our death rates are more like Azerbaijan and Moldova, where torture and corruption have been documented, than England and Wales.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Busy road in Glasgow’s West End has closed following crash<\/a><\/p>\n She said the increase \u201ccould both be due to the challenging physical environment of prison and the regimes inside it\u201d.<\/p>\n Professor\u00a0Armstrong added: \u201cPoor air quality, access to healthcare, extended periods of time being locked in cells, and increased isolation from others can all cause poor health, exacerbate existing conditions and lead to a loss of hope.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also identified a recurring pattern in prison deaths with officers not completing cell checks adequately, health concerns of prisoners being treated by staff as drug-seeking behaviour and signs of poor or declining mental health not being acted upon.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the Scottish Prison Service<\/a>\u2019s commitment to learn from each death in custody, it is worrying to see deaths occurring in similar circumstances year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Investigations ‘ongoing’ following late afternoon attack<\/a><\/p>\n She questioned whether the Scottish Government<\/a> \u201cknows who or how many are dying in their care\u201d.<\/p>\n Report co-author Linda Allan, whose daughter Katie Allan died in custody at Polmont Young Offenders Institution (YOI) in 2018, at the age of 21, called for greater transparency.<\/p>\n The Glasgow University honorary clinical associate professor said: \u201cMore than four people including children and young people die every week in this country while they are under the care of the state and it is unacceptable that in many cases we will never know what their names were, how they lived their lives, what led to their death and what these organisations are doing to stop it from happening again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need independent, timely investigations for every death that occurs while someone is in the care of the state.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to see robust data gathered, for internal reviews to be made public to ensure transparency, and for families to be included at every stage of the process.<\/p>\n \u201cA Scotland where these things don\u2019t happen is a Scotland that doesn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n