Scotland’s 17 prisons are all run or contracted by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). There’s no “Find a Prisoner” tool like in England & Wales, and no A–D category system either – so below, we’ve grouped each prison by what it mainly does, to make things easier to follow. For visiting times, addresses and up-to-date contact details, the SPS website’s prison finder is the best place to check, and each prison’s own visits team can help with anything specific.
Local/mainstream prisons. These hold a mix of remand prisoners and people serving shorter or medium sentences, usually from the surrounding area: HMP Edinburgh, HMP Barlinnie (Glasgow), HMP Greenock, HMP Low Moss (Bishopbriggs), HMP Dumfries, HMP Inverness, and HMP & YOI Grampian (Peterhead).
National/long-term prisons. These hold people serving longer sentences, including life sentences, and often have specialist units: HMP Perth, HMP Glenochil (Clackmannanshire, which includes a national top-end/pre-release unit), and HMP Shotts (Lanarkshire).
Open estate. HMP Castle Huntly, near Dundee, is Scotland’s open prison – for people assessed as lower-risk who are nearing the end of their sentence.
Young offenders. HMP & YOI Polmont, near Falkirk, is Scotland’s main young offenders institution.
Women’s estate. HMP & YOI Stirling is Scotland’s national prison for women. It opened in May 2023, replacing the former HMP & YOI Cornton Vale. Two smaller Community Custody Units help women stay closer to their home area and families: the Bella Centre in Dundee and the Lilias Centre in Glasgow.
The one private prison. 16 of the 17 establishments are run directly by SPS. HMP Addiewell, in West Lothian, is run under contract by a private operator (Sodexo Justice Services) – currently the only privately run prison in Scotland. HMP Kilmarnock used to be privately run too, but went back to SPS management in March 2024.
Barlinnie’s replacement. HMP Barlinnie, Glasgow’s Victorian-era local prison, is gradually being replaced by a new prison, HMP Glasgow, which is currently under construction and due to open around 2028 with room for 1,344 prisoners. Barlinnie stays open and in use until the new prison is ready.
England & Wales prisons are categorised A–D and can be searched using the Find a Prisoner service. Scotland doesn’t use that system, and there isn’t an equivalent public prisoner-finder tool – see our Finding Someone in a Scottish Prison page for how to track someone down instead.