| Prison bosses came in for criticism over the weekend for allegedly keeping quiet about the three men who disappeared during November and December.
One of the three is murderer William Low, who has served more than 23 years for his crime. The others are a South African cannabis trafficker and a man convicted of a violent assault.
A spokeswoman for the SPS said abscondments were never covered up but were immediately reported to Tayside Police, whose decision it was whether or not to notify the public.
She added, “Anyone can phone us and ask and we are more than willing to give the details out.
“Whether the public are notified is something that’s agreed between ourselves and the police.
“The police have the authority whether a press release is issued or not. We notify them immediately of any abscondments. If they think there is a need for the public to be informed, they advise us of that and we then put out a press release. At the end of the day, we don’t want to alarm the public unnecessarily.”
The SPS has a policy of not commenting on individual cases but said that out of 20 abscondments in the last year, three remain at large.
Castle Huntly’s role is to help prepare prisoners for their release into society. They are usually transferred to the Carse of Gowrie institution towards the end of their sentence.
As an open prison, Castle Huntly places a great deal of trust in the inmates and it is therefore relatively easy for them to abscond simply by walking out of the grounds or by failing to return from a visit elsewhere.
The SPS added, “Prisoners have to go through quite rigorous risk assessment. By at the end of the day, at some part of their sentence, they require to be tested in open conditions.”
A police spokesman said, ‘‘Tayside Police is notified by the Scottish Prison Service when a prisoner absconds. At that time, we will discuss with them whether or not the absconding prisoner is a threat to the public in general or to a specific member of the public.
‘‘An absconding prisoner will only be named by Tayside Police and the Scottish Prison Service if it is felt they present a serious risk to the public and only after agreement is reached with the Crown Office.
‘‘When a prisoner absconds, Tayside Police will actively conduct enquiries until the absconder has been traced.’’ |
