Praise for 'slick' prison

Inspectors were impressed by many aspects of how the prison – at Terregles Street – was managed and operated.

The report stated that the prison was high performing and well-run with a low level of violent incidents.

The prison was praised for its work to prevent prisoners’ relapses with drug and alcohol issues, good quality employment and training opportunities and positive relationships between staff and prisoners.

Inspectors highlighted that Dumfries Prison was “one of the cleanest” they had ever visited and the development of a visitor centre was also described as “advantageous and in line with best practice elsewhere in the estate”.

Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland Wendy Sinclair-Gieben said: “The whole prison worked with a slickness that was impressive.

“It certainly is the best inspection that my inspectorate team have done in all of my tenure and they deserve praise for that.”

There were concerns noted about the lack of accessible cells for prisoners with disabilities due to “a direct consequence of the age of the buildings”.

The report stated that the prison was operating under “strong visible leadership”.