Aberdeen is the local prison for the north-east of Scotland and the Northern Isles. The prison accommodates all remand prisoners and male adults serving sentences of up to 4 years.

Other prisoners out with these classifications received from court are housed and prepared for onward movement to appropriate establishments, although some prisoners are held out of classification where this meets the operational needs of the SPS.

There is also a small Female Community Integration Unit that houses suitably risk assessed female prisoners from the local area to aid them linking back into the community for release.