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2. SUMMARY
2.1 A number of common themes and issues were highlighted:
- The most recent version of the Prison Rules and other information notices should be available.
- Information on how to access the relevant Visiting Committee and how to make a complaint should be available.
- All prisoners should be provided with the opportunity to exercise in the open air.
- Some basic furniture should be available when cells are being used.
- Toilets in cells should be screened.
2.2 Matters of Concern for Individual Legalised Police Cells
- Lerwick
- The absence of any cell furniture.
- Open, unscreened, toilets in cells.
- The absence of any opportunity to exercise in the open air.
- Badly stained toilet bowls.
- No notices describing how to access the Visiting Committee or the Prisons Complaints Commissioner.
- A copy of the Koran and a Prayer mat were not available.
- Kirkwall
- Toilets in cells are not screened.
- A copy of the Koran and a Prayer Mat could not be located.
- A copy of the Prison Rules was not available.
- There is no opportunity for exercise in the open air.
- Thurso
- Information was not available on how to contact the Visiting Committee and the Prisons Complaints Commissioner.
- Sheets and pillows were not available.
- The most recent version of the Prison Rules was not available.
- Stornoway
- A current version of the Prison Rules was not available.
- The record keeping is not detailed enough to determine which individuals being held were police custodies and which were prisoners, or if any prisoners had been held overnight.
- There is no record of fire drills being carried out.
- There appears to be a lack of involvement of the Visiting Committee.
- Lochmaddy
- The record keeping is not detailed enough to determine if any prisoners being held were females.
- Prisoners have to leave their cells to wash their hands after using the toilet.
- There were no notices available in foreign languages.
- There was no information available on how to contact the Visiting Committee or how to make a complaint.
- It was not possible to determine when the Visiting Committee had last visited.
- There is no record of fire drills being carried out.
- A copy of the Koran and a Prayer Mat were not available.
- Oban
- A practice fire evacuation is not carried out at least once a year.
- The wash hand basin on the first floor was not clean.
- A copy of the Koran was not available.
- A notice highlighting the role of the Visiting Committee was not displayed.
- Dunoon
- An auditable system to ensure that the prisoner is contacted before the cell alarm bell is cancelled was not in place.
- Prisoners dressing and undressing in the shower area should not be in full view of others.
- A copy of the Koran was not available.
- A copy of the Prison Rules was not available.
- Prisoners are not able to access the toilet within a reasonable period of time, particularly when staff are busy.
- Campbeltown
- There is no modesty screen for undressing in the shower area.
- Hawick
- Toilets in cells were not screened.
- Notices detailing how to access a copy of the Prison Rules and the Visiting Committee were not available.
- Information on how to make a complaint was not available.
- Showers did not have curtains.
- A Visiting Committee Book was not available.
- An up-to-date version of the Prison Rules was not available.
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