A prison sentence can be hard on someone’s mental and physical health, and on their sense of safety – but there’s more support available than people often expect. Here’s where to turn.
Talking to someone. Every prison has a Prisoner Listener Scheme – specially trained fellow prisoners, supported by the Samaritans, who are available in confidence to anyone who’s struggling. In-cell phones also allow free calls to organisations like the Samaritans and Breathing Space, Scotland’s mental health helpline.
Alcohol and drug recovery. SPS takes a public health, recovery-focused approach to substance use in custody. Support can include medication-assisted treatment, psychological support, mutual aid groups like AA, NA and SMART Recovery, and recovery cafés inside some prisons. Take-Home Naloxone kits are offered on release to reduce the risk of overdose, and the Prison-to-Rehab (P2R) pathway can help arrange a residential rehabilitation place for some people leaving custody. Ask healthcare staff, a Recovery Officer, or your Personal Officer about what’s available at a specific prison.
Education and learning support. Education in Scottish prisons is delivered by an external provider on contract to SPS (currently PeoplePlus), covering everything from basic literacy to vocational skills, with particular attention to people who’ve had a difficult experience of school, or who are neurodivergent or have a learning difficulty. If reading or writing is a worry, it’s worth asking the education department or library early on – support is there, and there’s no shame in asking for it.
Safety and bullying. If someone feels unsafe, threatened, or is being bullied, they should tell a member of staff or their Personal Officer as soon as they can – prisons have processes for dealing with this, including moving someone to a safer location if needed. If a concern isn’t being taken seriously, our Complaints and Independent Monitoring page covers how to escalate it, including to the Independent Prison Monitoring scheme.