Scotland's new £1bn prison will be ‘like Costa Coffee', says governor
Michael Stoney said he wanted HMP Glasgow to be viewed as a community facility rather than a prison and 'a place that you could walk into on any normal day, like a Costa Coffee'.
Mr Stoney, the governor of the city's Victorian Barlinnie jail, argued that local groups could use the new prison for meetings and MSPs for constituency surgeries.
He was involved in the design of the new facility and praised it for its innovative layout, which promotes accessibility.
But the Scottish Tories said his remarks would 'astound' ordinary Scots, with SNP ministers 'set to squander £1 billion on building what sounds more like a luxury hotel than a replacement prison for Barlinnie'.
Scottish Government ministers disclosed in February that the cost of HMP Glasgow had surged from its original estimate of £100 million, prompting criticism of its 'nonsense' specification.
The Scottish Prison Service has previously described the new jail as having more in common with a school or college campus than with a 19th-century prison.
Jail cell halls have been renamed as houseblocks and inmates will be referred to as residents. The amphitheatre-style steps will adorn the front of the main building.
The prison will feature an orchard, woodlands, grassy meadows, hedgerows, courtyards, community action spaces, areas for horticulture, walking routes and health and wellbeing gardens.
Although plans for 300 special bricks with holes for endangered swifts to live in were dropped, there will be bird nesting boxes that owls can use.
There will also be a community café for people visiting the prison and gardens where they can sit, while play equipment will be provided for the visiting children of inmates.
Mr Stoney told the Glasgow Times: 'There will be a huge focus on social value. We want to become intrinsically integrated with our local community, support local needs through poverty, deprivation, age and youth work and provide them with resources they lack.
'We are hoping it won't just be seen as a prison but a place that you could walk into on any normal day, like a Costa Coffee.
'We have all sorts of ideas on how to utilise it. Could councillors and MSPs use it for surgeries? Could community groups use it as a meeting space?'
Asked about the jail's spiralling price tag, he blamed construction costs, saying: 'It's a lot of money. But unfortunately, that's where the prices are.'
He insisted that 'we did not go for anything that looks fanciful or looks like a hotel room' for the design of the cells, which he said would be cheap and quick to repair if damaged by inmates.
Instead, he said, the construction 'will focus on effective ventilation and heating, access to natural light and good acoustics' to reduce stress levels among the criminal inhabitants.
But Annie Wells, a Scottish Tory MSP for Glasgow, said: 'It is scarcely believable that the governor is talking up the prospect of this new prison being akin to a Costa coffee shop. Scots expect it to be a high-security, no-frills jail, but instead it's being talked up as a tourist attraction or a place for politicians to meet constituents.
'This soft-touch justice approach has been the hallmark of 18 years of the SNP relentlessly weakening Scotland's justice system. It is just common sense that taxpayers and victims should be the priority upon building this prison, instead of making life as cushy as possible for hardened criminals.'
The replacement for Barlinnie, which houses some of Scotland's toughest and most prolific criminals, was supposed to be completed in 2019 but is now not scheduled to open until 2028.
The new jail in the Germiston area will hold 1,344 inmates – 357 more than Barlinnie, which is suffering from chronic overcrowding.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: 'HMP Glasgow has been designed to deliver fit-for-purpose, safe and secure accommodation and will have a transformative impact in how we support and rehabilitate people.
'It will be an important part of the city, and with greater space and resources available. We will be able to work with a wider range of charities, support organisations and community groups, all dedicated to meeting the needs of people in custody, their families and the local community.'
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
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