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 & YOI Grampian covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, based on 83 visits and 578 IPM hours. Monitors found generally positive staff-prisoner relationships and effective case management, including around Rule 41 segregation and reintegration work, alongside “a range of constructive initiatives” – among them a new first-night space praised as “good”, an employment partnership with Greene King, and a library that won a national Library Team of the Year award.
Set against this, prisoner escorts were “a significant and recurring concern”, with long journeys, poor vehicle hygiene and the use of urine bags that monitors found particularly unsuitable for women – an issue outside the prison’s own control. More seriously, monitors had “major concerns” about prisoners being given the wrong medication or dosage, partly linked to staff shortages, and found bullying linked to access to medication a significant issue in some areas. Monitors also flagged gaps in recording checks on prisoners suspected of being under the influence of drugs, and inconsistent provision of basic items like clothing.
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