A stay of execution for Noranside open prison has been branded a “cynical ploy” by opponents of the closure, who say campaigners should use the valuable extra time to strengthen the case for its retention.
The fate of the jail north of Forfar will not now be decided until after May’s Scottish elections after the Scottish Prison Service confirmed it will be undertaking a mini estates review on the instruction of justice secretary Kenny MacAskill.
His request followed talks with representatives of the Prison Officers Association (Scotland) and presentation of a 4000-signature petition demanding a U-turn over proposals to axe the jail on economic grounds. In December the Liberal Democrats led pressure on Mr MacAskill at Holyrood when their justice spokesman Robert Brown accused him of evading the question of Noranside amid early concerns over its future.
On Monday night Mr Brown criticised the handling of the matter and said it would be wrong if the review was a fait accompli.
“I am glad the SNP justice secretary has been forced to back away from the immediate closure of Noranside,” he said. “The Noranside campaigners have done an excellent job in putting pressure on him. However, the whole way this matter has been handled has been a travesty.
“The review of the prison estate now announced should have been the first thing, not the last thing. The minister should publish the terms of reference of the review now it would be ridiculous if it was one of those reviews where the government starts with the answer it wants.”
North-east Lib Dem MSP Alison McInnes said, “I’m delighted that Noranside has been given a stay of execution and is not to be immediately closed. However, this looks like nothing more than a cynical ploy from the minister, as all he has done is kick the decision into the long grass until after the election.”