Prisoners join battle to save jail

Three more private prisons are to be built

Inmates at Peterhead Prison are pressing the Scottish Parliament to save their jail.

A petition from prisoners is being considered by MSPs on Tuesday.

They are protesting against proposals to close the prison, which has built up an international reputation as a model for the treatment of those jailed for sex crimes.

	Peterhead Prison Established in 1888 Houses 300 inmates Home to acclaimed sex offenders unit For more:  Peterhead prison: Granite fortress

In their petition to the parliament, the Peterhead prisoners say that they are being treated with dignity for the first time in their lives.

They also argue that society will be the loser if the prison closes.

The plan to close the Aberdeenshire jail, along with Low Moss Prison near Glasgow, was announced last month by Justice Minister Jim Wallace.

It is proposed that Peterhead will close within three years.

The prison's sex offenders' programme will continue at jails in the central belt and the new unit will remain within the public sector.

There has also been an outcry over plans to build three new private prisons in Scotland.

The Prisons Estate Review said the private jails proposal could save £700m.

Motion passed

However, those findings have been dismissed as "fundamentally flawed" by two academics.

Prison officers demonstrated against the proposals at the Liberal Democrat conference in Perth at the weekend.

Mr Wallace also faced opposition to the policy from within his own party, with delegates passing a motion expressing concern over proposals to build and run jails for profit.

MSPs visited Scotland's only private prison at Kilmarnock on Monday as part the justice committee's inquiry into the issue.