Angus and inmates will suffer a double prison work party whammy when the shutters come down on Noranside open jail, it has been claimed.
With the calendar counting down to the October 31 closure of the establishment near Forfar, and the transfer of prisoners to Castle Huntly on the outskirts of Dundee, officials at projects across the district are waiting to see what the set-up will mean for a successful work placement programme.
For years Noranside inmates have worked throughout Angus as part of their preparation for release.
The programme has ranged from one-off projects to placements with charities and other organisations in which inmates become integrated team members.
In the wake of last week’s Scottish Prison Service announcement that the 140-prisoner capacity jail has been deemed to be surplus to requirements, Noranside prisoners have already been told their transfer to the Carse of Gowrie venue will bring a number of changes.
Those may include the accommodation inmates will occupy since Noranside prisoners on the brink of release were housed in an independent living unit, and possible alterations to home leave schedules.
SPS officials are now working on the detail of those changes, and while prisoners have also been told work programmes will continue, the fear is that Angus may miss out because of the geographic switch in prisoner numbers.’Deeply disappointing’As chairwoman of the Forfar Resource Store, which serves clients across Angus, Forfar councillor Glennis Middleton has first-hand experience of the scheme’s benefits for prisoners and organisations.
She said, “While not unexpected, this decision is deeply disappointing.
“Noranside has proved its worth over and over again and the very fact that they have the lowest re-offending rates of any prison in Scotland must say something about the work that is done there.”
She added, “What is a very valuable workforce will now be dispersed through the prison system.
“They will take their expertise to other parts of the service, but that is not the same as working together in the effective way they have at Noranside.”
Ms Middleton said, “There is also a major consideration regarding the placements which have done a very valuable job for many years, and my concern is that Angus is going to lose out because of this.
“Our placements have proved trustworthy, hard working and hugely beneficial.”
The SPS have made no comment on the work placement issue.