POA SCOTLAND SURVEY REPORT

The POA Scotland commissioned Unity Consulting Scotland to produce and analyze a survey of members and report on the findings.

The survey took place over the month of February 2025 and asked a series of questions about overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons and the impact on Prison Officers and the people they look after.

543 POA members responded to the survey, this represents almost 14% of the union’s membership.

The survey asked both quantitative and qualitative questions; the data provided and responses given paints a very stark and alarming picture of the overcrowding crisis in Scotland’s jails. However, respondents also came up with a number of positive suggestions aimed at addressing the multiple issues they face in the line of duty.

The Scottish Prison Service and Scottish government should take these comments and suggestions seriously and work with the POA to implement them.

“POA Scotland are holding a drop-in session at Scottish Parliament today, 11^th June 2025, organised by UNITY Consulting Scotland, for MSPs to hear first-hand the impacts and costs of overcrowding to the front-line staff who are tasked with managing that on a day-to-day basis.”  PHIL FAIRLIE, Assistant General Secretary

 

See the attached survey report

Attachments

• POA - Overcrowding Survey 2025.pdf

  1.51 Mb, pdf