Scottish prisons aren’t all inspected the way prisons in England & Wales are. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) still carries out full inspections at some establishments, rating performance against nine Standards (from Good down to Unacceptable), but for most prisons it now monitors continuously through the year instead, using local volunteer Independent Prison Monitors (IPMs) who report their findings annually rather than through a single inspection visit.
HMIPS’s most recent monitoring report for HMP Greenock covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, based on 57 visits and 280 IPM hours – nearly double the monitoring time of the year before. Monitors concluded Greenock “remains a safe, well-run, and orderly prison”, with progression showing real movement – 25 people moved to the Open Estate and 25 into community work placements during the year – but warned that “the cumulative impact of regime disruption, progression delays and population pressures… undermined the good work of the prison”.
Prisoners on Ailsa Hall in particular frequently reported spending 20 or more hours a day locked in their cells, and the ageing building continued to suffer leaks, damp and mould. Mental health provision was a particular concern, with long waits reported, and staffing shortages affected the prison’s ability to deliver its regime consistently. Monitors found little trust in the complaints system, though no evidence that complaining led to any negative outcome for prisoners. Two prisoners died during the year, which monitors noted with sadness.
To read the full report, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland website or follow the link below:
- IPM Annual Monitoring Report (PDF), HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland, covering 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026