Scotland’s prison boss has warned a funding crisis could scupper a new super-jail already predicted to cost more than £400million.
Barlinnie has been marked for closure by 2026, with plans to replace it with the new state-of-the-art HMP Glasgow on the outskirts of the city. But Teresa Medhurst, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), has now flagged up serious issues over the viability of the project.
She told senior SPS colleagues “there are concerns about the future funding of HMP Glasgow”, which the Scottish Government has admitted could cost more than £400million – four times the original budget. The rising cost has been blamed on “Covid, inflationary pressures and market forces”.
