Low Moss

Regime Provision

Assessment Centre
In preparation for the piloting of the Short Term Prisoner Risk and Needs Assessment tool, Low Moss has been proactive in refurbishing existing facilities into an Assessment Centre. This facility was finished in March 2003. This will be an ideal opportunity for the aggregate needs of the prisoners to be identified more quickly and co-ordinated through the various agencies/organisations that work with the Throughcare Centre. Working with our Partners from Job Centre Plus, we have arranged for prisoners to have any benefit issues, resulting from their imprisonment, dealt with at the Induction stage of their sentence as part of the Needs and Risk Assessment process.

Approved Activities
Low Moss has achieved Approved Activity status for delivery of the S.P.S 21-Hour Drug Awareness Programme. We are currently on course to meet our local target for this programme.

Accredited Programmes
Low Moss delivers 1 accredited programme in ‘Cognitive Skills’. We achieved the target set for the number of prisoners successfully put through this course. Site accreditation will be applied for mid April 2003.

Throughcare
The Throughcare Centre team’s work has been pivotal in addressing re-offending. The range of services and interventions prisoners have access to has increased greatly over the last 12 months, once again the establishment has surpassed its target for PLH and Cognitive Skills delivery. The introduction of the new throughcare centre has been a significant enabler in achieving these results.

Low Moss also has the first Throughcare Chaplain within the Scottish Prison Service. Not only has this enabled Low Moss to ensure that the religious needs of prisoners from all faiths can be better met, but it has meant that, through his work with the Lodging House Mission, links with external voluntary and religious organisations have also been greatly strengthened.

Employability
At the beginning of 2003, the establishment returned to full time working for all the prisoners. Within Low Moss there are various work activities, i.e. Textiles; Joiners; Saw shop; Salvage; and V.T industrial cleaning. Staff in all the workshops are now D32-D33 qualified to deliver certificated training to prisoners.

All prisoners are all given the opportunity to attend a two-day course in H&S awareness.

The New Leaf Employability Programme, which is run in Partnership with Global Highland Management Services, is currently run within Low Moss approximately 7 times a year. This programme is closely linked to the Enhanced Work Party within Low Moss and is unique in that it tracks prisoners’ progress for up to a year after liberation.

Visits
The Visitors’ Waiting Area was completed and fully operational by June 2002. The upgrading of this facility has enhanced prisoners’ visits and contributed to an improved atmosphere in the visit area. The visit room has the capacity to accommodate 288 open visits throughout the week in addition there is capacity for 32 closed visits at weekends only. This gives an overall capacity of 320 visit spaces per week, which translates to just over 1 visit per prisoner place per week.

Order Issues
During the year April 2002 to April 2003 there were 4 serious incidents of large scale indiscipline and vandalism. Given the instability of the Establishment during 2002, a planned and phased improvement programme was agreed with the Operational Director, which initially saw dormitories upgraded and which will move to the eventual cubicalisation of some of the dormitories as with Dormitory 5 our most recent upgrade and pilot project. Allied to improvements in accommodation the Establishment is working hard to put in place a purposeful regime involving work, education and appropriate interventions to deal with drug abuse, unemployment, accommodation etc.

Manadatory Drug Testing
The unit carried out a total of 415 tests during the year. Of these, 124 were ‘in-prison positive’. Those prisoners testing positive highlighted Opiates, Cannabis and Benzodiazipines as the main drugs of use in Low Moss.

Assaults/ Weapons & Drug Finds
For the year to date there have been 11 serious prisoner on prisoner assaults. There have been 19 weapons found ranging from razor blades melted into toothbrushes to lock back knives. The physical layout of Low Moss and the lack of observation coverage in the corridors, particularly when the prisoner population is moving en masse, makes it difficult to prevent assaults taking place.There have been a total of 64 drug recoveries, 3 of which were from visitors, over the past year.

Anti Bullying
A positive step taken to address the safety of prisoners within Low Moss was the introduction of the anti bullying policy. The policy was well advertised using a poster campaign and flyers aimed at prisoners and their families.

Care Issues

Healthcare
The health centre currently offers medical and nursing services to approx. 300 short-term prisoners. The service delivery at the moment is very basic although we are striving to improve all services. An audit is currently being carried out against Health Care standards which should highlight any areas for improvement. The establishment has the bronze SHAW (Scotland’s Health at Work) award, and is working towards the Silver award.

Addictions
An addiction nurse was employed in November last year who now sees individual prisoners. From the start of March (2003) a new assessment tool for those prisoners identified on admission, as requiring a detoxification protocol, will be piloted for a 2 – 3 month period prior to being reviewed. This assessment should negate the need for prescribing inappropriate protocols.

Smoking Cessation
A smoking cessation clinic facilitated by Low Moss pharmacy staff was made available to all prisoners in March to correspond with national no-smoking day.

Infection Control
The control of Infection Guidelines, published in September 2002, is the latest initiative, which Health and Safety is championing within the establishment. The work currently being undertaken will see the removal of communal items from within the establishment to be replaced by more hygienic methods.

Catering
The catering department has now been totally refitted with new equipment. This has allowed the catering department to improve the establishment’s menu with healthy eating choices. The catering department was the first prison in Scotland to be awarded the ‘Scotland’s Healthy Choices Award’ this was retained in 2002.

Suicide Risk Management
All prisoners who are subject to ACT protocols at Low Moss are managed on site. The outcome to date has been very positive, with only the extremely serious cases being returned to closed conditions. The majority of prisoners are managed back into general circulation through case conferencing and appropriate care planning.

Human Resource Issues
The management team and POA (S) have been proactive in forming a partnership in line with VIRA (Voluntary Industrial Relations Agreement). This partnership has improved the industrial relations at Low Moss.

Health and Safety
Over the course of the last 12 months health and safety has been proactive in reducing the number of accidents within the establishment. There were 8 reportable accidents for the year 2002-2003.

Summary
The Scottish Prison Service Estates Review recognised in respect of HM Prison Low Moss that the dormitory style wooden huts, which comprised the major part of the Prison accommodation, were almost at the end of their useful life. The report further noted that the wooden buildings would not withstand a serious attempt at escape and that they continued to constitute a fire hazard. The report went on to say that the dormitory conditions themselves led to a range of difficulties including bullying, friction between the prisoners occasioned by a lack of personal space, eased illicit drug distribution and provided a poor working environment for staff. Consequent on the foregoing and on other matters, the Estates Review recommended that;

"HM Prison Low Moss should close as soon as alternative accommodation is available. The site should be considered for a new Prison development."

Following the Estates Review’s recommendation in respect of Low Moss, prisoner numbers have risen across the SPS Estate to unprecedented levels and Low Moss’ operational life may require to be extended. In recognition of that fact, Low Moss Management, with the support of the Operational Director, South and West, has applied itself to upgrading existing accommodation to an acceptable living standard for the 21st century.

In conjunction with improvements to the prisoners living accommodation, Management has re-examined prisoner activities and we now aim to provide a purposeful regime for prisoners involving work, education and appropriate interventions designed to improve their chances of avoiding re-offending following release. Some of this work is undertaken in partnership with Organisations from the Local Community. In order to improve those interventions to assist in preventing re-offending on release, we will be piloting the new short term prisoner risks and needs assessment tool.

The reality of Low Moss’ closure remains but while it continues as an Operational Establishment, notwithstanding the constraints identified in the Estates Review, Management is determined to provide the highest level of accommodation possible, a stable and secure environment and a purposeful Regime which will help to reduce re-offending.


	Address: HMP Low Moss Crosshill Road, Bishopbriggs Glasgow		Tel:(0141) 7624848 Fax:(0141) 7726903

	Low Moss Prison, sited near Bishopbriggs, north east of Glasgow, provides accommodation for some 330 short term, medium to low supervision category male adult prisoners sentenced to less than 48 months. The Prison does not receive prisoners direct from Court but takes selected medium to low supervision category prisoners from Barlinnie, Edinburgh, Greenock and occasionally Kilmarnock. We have a number of initiatives in place to provide for prisoner needs whether those are alcohol related, drug related, social or educational needs. To help provide this range of services we work in partnership with many organisations.
	Visiting VISIT TIMES Monday to Thursday: 14.45 - 15.45; 19.15 - 20.15; Saturday and Sunday: 14.30 - 16.45 · Weekday visits are of one hour duration; weekend visits are 30 minutes duration · Visits must be booked VISIT TIMES FOR LEGAL AGENTS Sunday to Saturday: 10.00 – 12.30; 14.45 – 16.45; No appointment necessary.
	Regime Provision Assessment Centre In preparation for the piloting of the Short Term Prisoner Risk and Needs Assessment tool, Low Moss has been proactive in refurbishing existing facilities into an Assessment Centre. This facility was finished in March 2003. This will be an ideal opportunity for the aggregate needs of the prisoners to be identified more quickly and co-ordinated through the various agencies/organisations that work with the Throughcare Centre. Working with our Partners from Job Centre Plus, we have arranged for prisoners to have any benefit issues, resulting from their imprisonment, dealt with at the Induction stage of their sentence as part of the Needs and Risk Assessment process. Programmes Approved Activities Low Moss has achieved Approved Activity status for delivery of the S.P.S 21-Hour Drug Awareness Programme. We are currently on course to meet our local target for this programme. Accredited Programmes Low Moss delivers 1 accredited programme in ‘Cognitive Skills’. We achieved the target set for the number of prisoners successfully put through this course. Site accreditation will be applied for mid April 2003. Throughcare The Throughcare Centre team’s work has been pivotal in addressing re-offending. The range of services and interventions prisoners have access to has increased greatly over the last 12 months, once again the establishment has surpassed its target for PLH and Cognitive Skills delivery. The introduction of the new throughcare centre has been a significant enabler in achieving these results. Low Moss also has the first Throughcare Chaplain within the Scottish Prison Service. Not only has this enabled Low Moss to ensure that the religious needs of prisoners from all faiths can be better met, but it has meant that, through his work with the Lodging House Mission, links with external voluntary and religious organisations have also been greatly strengthened. Employability At the beginning of 2003, the establishment returned to full time working for all the prisoners. Within Low Moss there are various work activities, i.e. Textiles; Joiners; Saw shop; Salvage; and V.T industrial cleaning. Staff in all the workshops are now D32-D33 qualified to deliver certificated training to prisoners. All prisoners are all given the opportunity to attend a two-day course in H&S awareness. The New Leaf Employability Programme, which is run in Partnership with Global Highland Management Services, is currently run within Low Moss approximately 7 times a year. This programme is closely linked to the Enhanced Work Party within Low Moss and is unique in that it tracks prisoners’ progress for up to a year after liberation. Visits The Visitors’ Waiting Area was completed and fully operational by June 2002. The upgrading of this facility has enhanced prisoners’ visits and contributed to an improved atmosphere in the visit area. The visit room has the capacity to accommodate 288 open visits throughout the week in addition there is capacity for 32 closed visits at weekends only. This gives an overall capacity of 320 visit spaces per week, which translates to just over 1 visit per prisoner place per week. Order Issues During the year April 2002 to April 2003 there were 4 serious incidents of large scale indiscipline and vandalism. Given the instability of the Establishment during 2002, a planned and phased improvement programme was agreed with the Operational Director, which initially saw dormitories upgraded and which will move to the eventual cubicalisation of some of the dormitories as with Dormitory 5 our most recent upgrade and pilot project. Allied to improvements in accommodation the Establishment is working hard to put in place a purposeful regime involving work, education and appropriate interventions to deal with drug abuse, unemployment, accommodation etc. Manadatory Drug Testing The unit carried out a total of 415 tests during the year. Of these, 124 were ‘in-prison positive’. Those prisoners testing positive highlighted Opiates, Cannabis and Benzodiazipines as the main drugs of use in Low Moss. Assaults/ Weapons & Drug Finds For the year to date there have been 11 serious prisoner on prisoner assaults. There have been 19 weapons found ranging from razor blades melted into toothbrushes to lock back knives. The physical layout of Low Moss and the lack of observation coverage in the corridors, particularly when the prisoner population is moving en masse, makes it difficult to prevent assaults taking place.There have been a total of 64 drug recoveries, 3 of which were from visitors, over the past year. Anti Bullying A positive step taken to address the safety of prisoners within Low Moss was the introduction of the anti bullying policy. The policy was well advertised using a poster campaign and flyers aimed at prisoners and their families. Care Issues Healthcare The health centre currently offers medical and nursing services to approx. 300 short-term prisoners. The service delivery at the moment is very basic although we are striving to improve all services. An audit is currently being carried out against Health Care standards which should highlight any areas for improvement. The establishment has the bronze SHAW (Scotland’s Health at Work) award, and is working towards the Silver award. Addictions An addiction nurse was employed in November last year who now sees individual prisoners. From the start of March (2003) a new assessment tool for those prisoners identified on admission, as requiring a detoxification protocol, will be piloted for a 2 – 3 month period prior to being reviewed. This assessment should negate the need for prescribing inappropriate protocols. Smoking Cessation A smoking cessation clinic facilitated by Low Moss pharmacy staff was made available to all prisoners in March to correspond with national no-smoking day. Infection Control The control of Infection Guidelines, published in September 2002, is the latest initiative, which Health and Safety is championing within the establishment. The work currently being undertaken will see the removal of communal items from within the establishment to be replaced by more hygienic methods. Catering The catering department has now been totally refitted with new equipment. This has allowed the catering department to improve the establishment’s menu with healthy eating choices. The catering department was the first prison in Scotland to be awarded the ‘Scotland’s Healthy Choices Award’ this was retained in 2002. Suicide Risk Management All prisoners who are subject to ACT protocols at Low Moss are managed on site. The outcome to date has been very positive, with only the extremely serious cases being returned to closed conditions. The majority of prisoners are managed back into general circulation through case conferencing and appropriate care planning. Human Resource Issues The management team and POA (S) have been proactive in forming a partnership in line with VIRA (Voluntary Industrial Relations Agreement). This partnership has improved the industrial relations at Low Moss. Health and Safety Over the course of the last 12 months health and safety has been proactive in reducing the number of accidents within the establishment. There were 8 reportable accidents for the year 2002-2003. Summary The Scottish Prison Service Estates Review recognised in respect of HM Prison Low Moss that the dormitory style wooden huts, which comprised the major part of the Prison accommodation, were almost at the end of their useful life. The report further noted that the wooden buildings would not withstand a serious attempt at escape and that they continued to constitute a fire hazard. The report went on to say that the dormitory conditions themselves led to a range of difficulties including bullying, friction between the prisoners occasioned by a lack of personal space, eased illicit drug distribution and provided a poor working environment for staff. Consequent on the foregoing and on other matters, the Estates Review recommended that; "HM Prison Low Moss should close as soon as alternative accommodation is available. The site should be considered for a new Prison development." Following the Estates Review’s recommendation in respect of Low Moss, prisoner numbers have risen across the SPS Estate to unprecedented levels and Low Moss’ operational life may require to be extended. In recognition of that fact, Low Moss Management, with the support of the Operational Director, South and West, has applied itself to upgrading existing accommodation to an acceptable living standard for the 21st century. In conjunction with improvements to the prisoners living accommodation, Management has re-examined prisoner activities and we now aim to provide a purposeful regime for prisoners involving work, education and appropriate interventions designed to improve their chances of avoiding re-offending following release. Some of this work is undertaken in partnership with Organisations from the Local Community. In order to improve those interventions to assist in preventing re-offending on release, we will be piloting the new short term prisoner risks and needs assessment tool. The reality of Low Moss’ closure remains but while it continues as an Operational Establishment, notwithstanding the constraints identified in the Estates Review, Management is determined to provide the highest level of accommodation possible, a stable and secure environment and a purposeful Regime which will help to reduce re-offending.

HMP Low Moss