HM Prison Edinburgh
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55°55′36″N 3°15′40″W / 55.9268°N 3.2611°W
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| Location | Stenhouse, Edinburgh |
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| Status | Operational |
| Capacity | 872 |
| Population | 860 |
| Opened | 1920 |
| Managed by | Scottish Prison Service |
| Governor | David Abernethy |
| Street address | 33 Stenhouse Road |
| City | Edinburgh |
| Postal code | EH11 3LN |
His Majesty's Prison Edinburgh is located in the west of Edinburgh on the main A71, in an area now known as Stenhouse, and, although never named as such, has commonly been known as Saughton Prison from the old name for the general area. The prison is situated on the edge of a predominantly residential area and has good transport and road links to the city centre, which provides good access both for local courts and prison visitors. The building of the prison began on 31 July 1914 with the first prisoner being received in 1919.[1] The prison consists of four halls: Glenesk, Hermiston, Ingliston and Ratho.
The prison receives inmates from the courts in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders. The prison holds adult male (though no longer Young Offenders, those prisoners aged under 21) convicted prisoners serving under four years and a female population in its Ratho hall. Long-term prisoners when sentenced are held at Edinburgh awaiting transfer to their prison of allocation. Edinburgh also provides a national facility for prisoners at the pre-release stage of their sentence.[2]
Healthcare
As of 1 November 2011, healthcare is provided by the NHS.[3] Prior to this it was provided through prison service employed nursing staff, with a GP and on call service provided by the healthcare staff provider (Medacs). Lloyds Pharmacy currently supplies medication through daily deliveries (Monday to Saturday).
Library
The prison library was the winner of the 2010 UK Libraries Change Lives Award[4] for its work in promoting literacy among its incarcerated population, who typically have much lower literacy rates than the general population. Kate King, the librarian, was also named UK public library staff of the year in 2014.[5]
Notable inmates
- James Forbes - Son of notorious Leith double murderer Donald Forbes was imprisoned here after being found guilty of assault and torture of a man in Largs
- Stephen Gough - A naked rambler repeatedly imprisoned for public nudity
- Eduardo Paolozzi - Scottish sculptor and artist was held here for three months during World War II because of his Italian heritage
- Kenny Richey - Served 21 years on death row in Ohio, and spent 6 months at HMP Edinburgh before being found not guilty of Serious Assault to permanent disfigurement and was released on 8 March 2009
- Peter Tobin - Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol. Tobin died in October 2022.[6]
- Nicholas Rossi - American sex offender fugitive.
References
- ^ "Prisons: HMP Edinburgh". Scottish Prison Service. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ "HMP Edinburgh". Scottish Prison Service. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
- ^ "Health Board Provision of Healthcare in Prisons (Scotland) Directions" (PDF). Scottish Executive Health Department. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ Scott, Kirsty (7 July 2010). "Prison library helps to transform lives". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ Farrington, Joshua (13 August 2014). "CILIP names 2014 library staff of the year". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/oct/08/serial-killer-peter-tobin-dies-while-serving-life-sentences-in-edinburgh
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