In an alarming revelation, Scotland's penitentiary system has drawn scrutiny for allowing inmates at HMP Barlinnie to access a wide array of X-rated films and television shows featuring themes of extreme violence, drug use, and sexual content. Despite an ongoing crisis of violence within the prison community, the facility, known for housing some of Scotland’s most hardened criminals, offers a substantial library of films, including notorious titles such as Saw, Silence of the Lambs, and the American television series Dexter, which chronicles a forensic officer's double life as a serial killer.
Documents obtained under freedom of information laws unveil that inmates have access to more than 4,100 DVDs and 470 computer games. This library includes graphic content that raises questions about its suitability in a rehabilitative environment. Movies depicting real-life child killers, such as Fred and Rose West and Myra Hindley, along with highly sexualised films including Fifty Shades of Grey, are readily available to those serving sentences for serious crimes. Prison officers have voiced their concerns, urging the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to reassess these policies, especially in light of reports indicating a staggering average of over 250 assaults on prison staff annually over the past decade.
The Scottish Conservative Party has taken a firm stance, with Justice spokesman Liam Kerr criticising the presence of such material within the prison system. He lamented that "ordinary Scots will be appalled," underlining that similar content has been banned in prisons across England and Wales since 2013. Kerr demanded that the Scottish Government intervene to eliminate access to violent and sexually explicit material from the prison library, arguing that it undermines rehabilitation efforts and could exacerbate the already tense atmosphere within the facility.
The SPS has defended their policies, stating that access to DVDs is a privilege determined at the discretion of individual prison governors. This justification, however, has not alleviated concerns about the potential impact of such content on inmates’ behaviour, particularly those striving to overcome substance abuse issues. Given the prevalence of drug-related narratives in many of these films, critics argue that access to such material contradicts any rehabilitation agenda.
This troubling trend isn't isolated to Barlinnie. Across Scotland, similar patterns have emerged, with reports detailing similar access to violent films in other institutions like HMP Grampian. Inmates there have been able to choose from a diverse selection of films, including Cocaine Bear, a movie that satirically depicts a bear on a cocaine-fuelled rampage. This suggests a broader cultural acceptance within Scottish prisons of entertaining narratives that glorify violence and criminal behaviour, raising profound ethical questions about what content is deemed appropriate for rehabilitation.
Moreover, past incidents in various Scottish prisons have exposed a willingness to permit access to sexually explicit materials, as seen at HMP Glenochil, where convicted sex offenders were allowed to order pornography through the prison canteen. This has drawn criticism from advocacy groups, who warn that such liberties could undermine the rehabilitation of offenders and potentially endanger the welfare of other inmates and staff.
As debates surrounding this issue intensify, the SPS has been urged to strike a balance between providing entertainment and maintaining a secure environment conducive to rehabilitation. Critics argue that without a thorough review and possible amendment of current policies, the consequences of allowing access to graphically violent and sexually explicit material will continue to reverberate throughout the Scottish prison system, affecting not just prison dynamics, but the broader societal implications of crime and rehabilitation.
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Source: Noah Wire Services