Aberdeenshire’s new super-jail welcomed its first generation of inmates yesterday.
Male prisoners from throughout the north-east were bussed into the £140million HMP Grampian last night.
They were the first wave of prisoners to arrive at the Peterhead jail this week. Female inmates are scheduled to move in tomorrow, while young offenders are due later this month.
The long-awaited HMP Grampian is scheduled to be fully operational by the middle of next month, when an official opening ceremony is planned.
The 550-capacity jail, which replaces the Victorian-era Peterhead Prison and Craiginches in Aber-deen, is the first in Scotland to hold adult males, females and youths.
Last night, justice secretary Kenny MacAskill praised the development.
“As well as helping to develop a model, which I believe will be the future for our custodial services, it will mean prisoners from the north-east will be able to benefit from facilities specifically designed to reduce their offending. The new fit-for-purpose facilities will maximise the opportunity for prisoners to engage positively to address underlying causes of their offending behaviour.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokeswoman said the new jail would make the north-east safer by reducing re- offending.
Last month, the jail’s governor Jim Farish addressed critics who compared the jail to a luxury holiday camp. He said: “I make no apologies for the design of this building. My job here is to make every effort to prepare these prisoners for their return to society and the communities they came from.
“The flexible facilities we now have in Peterhead will allow us to engage with every prisoner and unlock their potential and do all we can to prevent them from re-offending.”
Meanwhile, work has started on a family centre in the grounds of the jail, specifically for visiting relatives and their young children.
The building will house a cafe, play area, offices and meeting rooms. The aim is to provide a welcoming and less intimidating atmosphere for young family members.
The centre also includes a help centre to offer information, support and advice to prisoners’ relatives. It is hoped that the stand-alone unit will encourage family members to visit loved ones behind bars as often as possible, which could help prevent them from re-offending.