Scotland's jail-building fiasco is likely to cost taxpayers over £1million per prisoner, the Sunday Mail can reveal. The bill for a replacement HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow was last year estimated to be £1billion – almost 10 times the original 2014 price tag. However, sources have warned the final cost of the over-budget and delayed 1344-cell facility – scheduled for completion in 2028 – could soar even further.
Soaring Costs for New Prisons
Meanwhile, the new 200-cell HMP Highland in Inverness, also due to come into service in spring 2027, is now £209million – up from an initial £52million estimate ten years ago. A senior official said: “The current projected spend for these two projects is £1.2billion – but from estimates of around £150million just a decade ago.”
“Given what we know about the public sector’s ability to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects, it would be safe to assume these figures will continue to rise given we are still years out from completion dates. Inverness will already cost over £1million per prisoner space, and I would expect Glasgow to be in a similar ballpark by the time it opens.”
Comparisons and Criticism
The official added: “These are truly mind-boggling figures when you consider the original budgets. It is not just prisons – we have ferries hundreds of millions over budget, the Monklands Hospital project doubling to £2billion – the list is endless. It is incredibly worrying – how are you to develop as a country if basic things like hospitals, bridges and prisons are costing ten times what they should?”
“There are many factors we can do nothing about like inflation and global supply chain costs, but the fact is that Scotland and the UK generally has a public procurement problem. We are paying many multiples of the prices that other countries do for large-scale engineering projects and it is killing us financially.”
Political Reactions
Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman Stephen Kerr MSP said: “Taxpayers always foot the bill for the SNP’s fiascos and these overbudget and delayed prisons are the latest example. Spending around £1million for every prisoner these new jails will house is utterly staggering, particularly when ministers started out promising to deliver them for a fraction of the cost.”
Scottish Labour’s Pauline McNeill added: “The Scottish public are paying the price for years of financial incompetence under this SNP government. Hardworking families are having to pay more and more because SNP ministers have overseen countless cost overruns for our vital national infrastructure projects.”
Prison Overcrowding and Response
In May, Scotland’s prison population climbed to an all-time high, with more than 8500 inmates being held in a system designed for just 7805. To combat overcrowding, the Scottish Government has carried out three controversial early-release schemes. Under updated rules introduced on May 12, prisoners serving sentences of four years or less may now qualify for release after serving 30 per cent of their sentence, rather than 40 per cent.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP said: “The SNP government have monumentally mismanaged the replacement for Scotland’s biggest prison since day one. Scotland is crying out for these replacements, so we will need to see a serious and sustained effort by the Justice Secretary to get this vital project back on track.”
The long-awaited replacement for crumbling HMP Barlinnie, known as Bar-L, will add 357 spaces to Scotland’s overall capacity when it eventually opens. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is widely accepted that additional capacity in the prison estate is needed and HMP Glasgow will add 357 places. The cost of HMP Glasgow is comparable to other large-scale prison projects across the UK.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP Glasgow and HMP Highland are significant long-term investments in Scotland’s justice infrastructure that will serve communities for decades to come. Both prisons will provide fit-for-purpose, safe and secure accommodation, bringing modern environments that better support and meet the needs of those in our care, and our staff.”
