Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

Scottish Prison Service

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld Reference 201301031 Sector Prisons Category temporary confinement Decided 01 October 2013

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Summary

Mr C, who is a prisoner, complained that the prison inappropriately held him in a special cell for over 90 hours. Mr C said prison rules said that a prisoner should not be held in a special cell for longer than 24 hours.

The prison told Mr C that he was relocated to a cell within the segregation unit after the doctor advised it was necessary. Prison rules allow the governor to hold a prisoner in special conditions when a healthcare professional advises that it is appropriate to do so in order to protect the health and welfare of the prisoner. The information provided by the prison confirmed that Mr C had swallowed certain items and because of that, the doctor had advised them to relocate him for his own safety. In addition, the prison confirmed Mr C was held for less than 72 hours. In light of the evidence available, we did not uphold Mr C's complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201301031 as a PDF (11 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018

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