Gary Docherty

Scotland's prison population is approximately 8000

The annual cost per prisoner for 2009-10 was £31,703

The annual cost per prisoner for 2008-09 was £44,447

The reoffending rate for prisoners who have served less than a 6 month sentence is 73%

The reoffending rate for prisoners who have served a sentence of over 2 years is 43%

The Prison Reform Trust estimates that at least 7% of all UK prisoners have an IQ of less than 70

25% have an IQ of less than 80 There are 14 learning disabled trained nurses working in Scottish prisons at this time

Not one of these 14 nurses is employed within the Scottish prisons as a learning disability nurse

Conservative estimates are that we have approximately 1000 prisoners who have a learning disability or borderline learning disability

Only 3 of the 17 Scottish prisons have a learning disability service ( Polmont, Greenock & Kilmarnock )

HMP Barlinnie have over 80 prisoners with a diagnosed learning disability

A further 6 prisons are in the process of initiating a learning disability service (Barlinnie, Corton Vale, Aberdeen, Peterhead, Glenochil and Perth ) , based on the `BLUEPRINT` model

Systems based on the `BLUEPRINT` model are being used in English, Irish, Australian, Norwegian & Canadian prisons

The `BLUEPRINT` system reduced the reoffending rates to 20%

Using the ` BLUEPRINT ` system, considering the current reoffending rates, the Scottish Executive would save £5.8 Million per year if they implemented this system as standard practice

Prisoners with a learning disability are 5 times more likely to be a subject to C & R procedures

They are 3 times as likely to be placed in a segregation unit as other mainstream prisoners

Every learning disability prisoner in recent research stated he/she had been bullied in some form by other prisoners or staff

In February 2010 a prisoner called Dennis Gill, successfully sued the English prison service using the Disability Discrimination Act ( 2005 ) , after he proved the prison service had not provided appropriate courses and support to address his learning disability & offending behaviour

A number of Scottish prisoners are actively canvassing for other learning disabled offenders to sue the SPS & Scottish Executive

The equality act ( 2010 ) and the previous Disability Discrimination Act ( 2005 ) requirements are not being adhered to in Scottish prisons

` The Same As You ` publication, made a recommendation ( number 28 ) for more research and identification of people with learning disability in prisons

` No One Knows ` ( 2007 ) by Nancy Loucks & Jenny Talbot. Offers comprehensive research into learning disability offenders in Scottish prisons

` On the Borderline ` ( 2004 ) by Fiona Myers was the most specific research but was limited

England & Wales have recently been acting upon ` The Bradley Report `

The transition of SPS healthcare to NHS healthcare should improve access to information on prisoners with a learning disability

Specialist learning disability nurses need time & resources to provide appropriate support to learning disability offenders in prison

Greater emphasis & efforts should be employed to promote more ` EASY-READ ` forms & paperwork in the prisons

All prison staff should have learning disability awareness training