Scotland's prisons are at breaking point as they struggle to cope with the rising number of violent crime gang members behind bars, the Daily Record can reveal. The Scottish Prison Service has admitted it must keep rival groups apart because of their links to organised crime and to prevent further violence. The current prison population of around 8,500 has been described as "unsustainable", with those imprisoned and working in prisons at "significant risk".
Gang war arrests and convictions
Over the last 18 months, more than 60 people have been arrested for their part in a gang war linked to the resurgence of a long-running feud between the Lyons and Daniel crime families. Around 15 perpetrators have been handed lengthy prison sentences and are now in jails across Scotland, with further cases due to come to court.
Police Scotland has also secured the convictions of some major underworld figures in the last three years, including Jamie "Iceman" Stevenson and James "The Don" White, for their involvement in organised crime. Most recently, crime boss Stephen Jamieson, an ally of Stevenson, was jailed for six years at the High Court in Glasgow in April on drug smuggling charges.
Prison service response
Last month, a member of the Daniel family, Steven Daniel, was arrested and appeared in court charged with serious organised crime, production and supplying of drugs. He is currently on remand.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: "As we have made clear, the size and complexity of the prison population is unsustainable. It now poses a significant risk to the safety of those living and working in our establishments and limits our ability to deliver effective rehabilitation."
"We have many groups who require to be kept separate from others for a range of reasons, in some cases because of links to serious and organised crime, in others because of their offending history, age, or legal status. Our current population challenges make this even more challenging and further restricts our staff’s ability to do the important work of supporting individuals, building relationships, turning lives around, reducing the risk of reoffending, and creating a safer Scotland for all."
Government measures and ongoing violence
The Scottish Government added: "Scotland’s prison population, like many comparable countries, has risen to unsustainable levels and must be addressed. We are taking a number of actions to tackle this, including building two new prisons and maximising capacity within the prison estate. We have recently consulted on a range of measures to achieve a sustainable prison population, while maintaining public protection and reducing future offending."
Last year, the Scottish Prison Service admitted they were playing "a daily game of chess" as they try to keep violent rivals apart, in some cases moving them from jail to jail. The Prison Officers' Association in Scotland has said many of its members have been left fearing for their safety because of threats and intimidation from gang-affiliated criminals. About 660 prisoners in Scotland's jails are thought to have associations with serious and organised crime groups.
The resurgence of violence linked to the Lyons and Daniel feud began in March last year with attacks on properties and people associated with Edinburgh cocaine baron and Daniel ally Mark Richardson. The violence spread from Edinburgh to Glasgow, targeting members of the Daniel family and their associates.
Operation Portaledge was launched to crack down on the violence, which has resulted in 64 arrests to date. In May last year, Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr, both members of the Lyons crime family, were shot dead in a bar in Fuengirola in Spain's Costa Del Sol.
Jamie Stevenson was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow in October 2024 of cocaine importation charges and later jailed for 16 years and three months. Mark Richardson was jailed for eight years and four months in January 2018, also at the High Court in Glasgow, for firearms offences. James White was convicted of organised crime offences in June 2023 at the same court and sentenced to nine years and ten months.
