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Inverness serves courts in the Highlands, Islands and Moray – a large and diverse catchment area embracing rural and urban communities. We have a design capacity of 103, but currently average population of 117. 

The prison manages remand prisoners both adult and young persons, convicted adults serving up to 4 years and various other individuals who are awaiting to go to their prison of allocation or need to spend time with us as a management support. The prisoners in this category tend to be serving long term sentences including life.

Exterior of Inverness Prison

Visiting the prison

  • Family and friends are required to ring up the designated visit booking line to book visits. The contact number is 01463 229026.

    Please be aware that calls can only be taken during the following times:

    • Monday to Friday
      • 09.00 - 12.00
      • 14.00 - 16.00
    • Saturday
      • 09.30 - 11.30
  • Agents should book visits at least 24 hours in advance, where possible, by calling direct to 01463 229027. Information on legal visits by video link can be found below.

    It is important that you arrive promptly for your visit. You should allow extra time for unforeseen problems such as parking, public transport delays etc. If you believe you may be a running late please phone and let us know, we may still be a position to allow the visit to go ahead. We would ask visitors to arrive 15 mins prior to the visit time.

  • To gain access to the prison for the purpose of visiting, you must have two forms of identification, one of which must be photographic ID. Entry to the prison will not be permitted without acceptable identification. The following examples shall be accepted as suitable for photographic ID purposes:

    • Valid Passport
    • Photographic Driving Licence
    • Citizen/Validate UK Card
    • Senior Citizens Bus Pass
    • Workplace photo ID card
    • Photographic Bank Card
    • Other official photo ID i.e. membership card

    The following examples shall be accepted as suitable for proof of address provided it is less than 3 months old:

    • Utility bill
    • Council tax bill
    • Bank statement
    • Other letter from official source

    Official visitors require Identification cards. Agents are required to carry their Law Society of Scotland ID Cards.

    You will be asked to secure bags, mobile phones, any other devices and the bulk of your money into the lockers provided.

  • Click here for information on the Scottish Legal Aid Board web site for solicitors looking to register for and use video link technology to conduct meetings with their clients in custody.

  • Property being handed in can only be accepted if accompanied by a property request sent out by the prisoner. Please be aware that only items on the form can be accepted.

  • You can post in property for prisoners, but the individual must have completed the pro-forma prior to the items arriving. Mark the parcel for the individual's attention. To ensure the parcel arrives safely, you can send it recorded delivery (cost incurred at the post office).  

    You can post money in to an individual for their PPC. If you choose to do so, please use recorded/special delivery (costs incurred at the post office) when posting cash, a cheque or postal order.  Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to the Scottish Prison Service, but please note the individuals details on the back.

    However, the most secure and efficient way of sending money is through online banking. For full instructions on how to do this please follow the link below.

    Sending money

Visiting times

    • Monday to Friday
      • 13:30 - 14:00
      • 14:00 - 14:30
      • 14:30 - 15:00
      • 15:00 - 15:30
      • 18:45 - 19:30
    • Saturday
      • 14:15  -15:00
    • Monday to Friday
      • 13:15 - 14:15
      • 14:30-15:30
      • 18:45 - 19:30
    • Saturday
      • 14:15 - 15:00 (untried)
      • 15:15 - 16:00 (family session)
    • Sunday 
      • 14:15-15:00 (convicted)
      • 15:15-16:00 (convicted)
  • Monday to Friday

    • 13:30 - 14:00
    • 14:45-15:15
    • 19:00 - 19:30

    Saturday

    • 14:15 - 14:45

    Sunday

    • 14:15-14:45
    • 15:15-15:45

     

Getting in touch

Family and Friends

If sending a letter to a prisoner, put their name, prison number and location, followed by the prison postal address.

Solicitors

If you are writing to your client, the Scottish Prison Service considers that it is necessary that you adopt the “double envelope” process as recommended by the Law Society. It is the experience of the Scottish Prison Service that adopting this process ensures that your client receives his or her correspondence unopened and assists in mitigating the abuse of the right to receive such correspondence in this way. If you require further information you can contact us as follows:

How to get there

  • There is a one-way system around the vicinity of the prison, and parking is very restricted - apart from official visitors, it requires payment by meter. Spaces are available in Argyle Terrace, or at the car park at the end of Argyle Street.

    Although the prison entrance is on Duffy Drive, this is a narrow, one-way street which is usually approached from the road which runs parallel to it - Old Edinburgh Road. It too is a one-way street (same north-south direction) and is accessed from Castle Street (predictably enough, the road which runs past Inverness Castle). On entering Old Edinburgh Road, turn first left into Mitchell Lane, then first right into Duffy Drive, or, if looking for a car space, continue to the end of Mitchell Lane and turn left into Argyle Terrace then right for Argyle Street.

    Parking around the prison is quite limited although possible, so consideration should be given to parking in town and walking the short distance to the prison.

  • The prison is within relatively easy walking distance from the town centre - around 15 minutes from the bus or train stations. If you take the exit road from the bus station and turn left along Academy Street, you pass the train station and can access a taxi rank, if you would prefer (approximate cost is £5).

    Having walked along Academy Street, cross over and along Inglis Street (which is pedestrianised) and up Market Brae steps, which face you at the end. They lead to Argyle Street, at the end of which is the Redcliffe Hotel. From this juncture you will see the prison wall to your left - follow it round, that is, turn left and first right, into Mitchell's Lane. Then first left into Duffy Drive, where you will find the entrance to the prison.

History of the prison

The present prison was opened in 1902, having relocated from nearby Inverness Castle to what was, at that time, the rural parish of Porterfield.

There were 25 male and 10 female offenders in accommodation comprising of 49 cells. Throughout its subsequent history the prison has had a mixed population of men and women, convicted and untried offenders.

The accommodation halls within the confines of the original wall have changed internally over the past 100 years, although their facades have remained the same. A number of extensions and extra buildings have been incrementally added to cope with rising and changing demands. Examples include the new Gate complex, the workshops and laundry. Other areas, such as facilities for healthcare and catering have been modernised.

The original cells were barely furnished. Now they have in-cell sanitation, bunk-beds, fitments, electric power and TVs - reflecting modern standards of living.

Prison labour was used to build the establishment. Subsequent employment included oakum-picking, sack sewing and mat-making, as well as maintenance of the prison estate and further building work. Physical drills and Bible classes punctuated the week. There is no mention in the records of 1903 of learning centres nor fitness centres such as those provided today. Programmes to address offending behaviour did not feature either, although perhaps the Chaplain (who "states that he spends upwards of 2 hours weekly in the prison") and Mrs Werner, the "Lady Visitor" took such a role upon themselves.

The working environment for staff has also changed. The first Governor, John Nicol, had a house built for himself within the walls. Two houses were additionally erected for "married warders" and "female warders" had quarters provided too - supplied with drainage, gas, water and service pipes. Prison Officers now work an average of 37 hours a week and the concept of tied housing has been abandoned since the 1980s. Their job has evolved away from that of turnkey to actively engaging with prisoners in pursuit of the Scottish Prison Service model of correctional excellence.