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 Shotts covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, based on 72 visits and 182 IPM hours. Monitors found a “calm, stable, and well-managed establishment”, where “many prisoners described Shotts as safer and more settled than other establishments they had been in”. Purposeful activity, visits and family engagement were all singled out as clear strengths, and induction and liberation processes were “particularly strong”.
The report’s main systemic concern was confidence in the complaints system, which “remained consistently low” among prisoners even though local procedures were being followed correctly – echoing a wider August 2025 report from the Scottish Human Rights Commission on prisoner complaints. Monitors were also concerned about sustained pressure on segregation, work areas frequently closing due to staff shortages, poor ventilation in warm weather, and the continued presence of illicit substances, which at times contributed to unpredictable behaviour and medical emergencies. One prisoner died at Shotts during the year, which monitors noted with sympathy.
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