HM Prison Edinburgh

HMP Edinburgh is located in the west of Edinburgh on the main A71, in an area now known as Stenhouse, and, although never named as such, has commonly been known as Saughton Prison from the old name for the general area. The prison is situated on the edge of a predominantly residential area and has good transport and road links to the city centre, which provides good access both for local courts and prison visitors. The building of the prison began on 31 July 1914 with the first prisoner being received in 1919. The prison consists of four halls: Glenesk, Hermiston, Ingliston and Ratho. The prison receives inmates from the courts in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders. The prison manages adult male individuals including those on remand, short term sentences (serving less than four years), long term sentences (serving four years or more), life sentence prisoners and extended sentence prisoners (Order for Lifelong Restriction).

1. Healthcare

As of 1 November 2011, healthcare is provided by the NHS. Prior to this it was provided through prison service employed nursing staff, with a GP and on call service provided by the healthcare staff provider (Medacs).

1. Library

The prison library was the winner of the 2010 UK Libraries Change Lives Award for its work in promoting literacy among its incarcerated population, who typically have much lower literacy rates on admission than the general population. Kate King, the librarian, was also named UK public library staff member of the year in 2014.

1. Notable inmates

Robert Bayne – Sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Zoe Nelson. Isla Bryson – believed to be the first transgender woman to be convicted of rape for offences she committed prior to transition. Dominic Devine – Convicted of rape and attempted murder. Transferred to HM Prison Shotts after being caught smuggling drugs. Stephen Gough – A naked rambler repeatedly imprisoned for public nudity. Craig Murray – Journalist convicted of contempt of court. Eduardo Paolozzi – Scottish sculptor and artist was held here for three months during World War II because of his Italian heritage. Kenny Richey – Served 21 years on death row in Ohio, and spent 6 months at HMP Edinburgh before being found not guilty of Serious Assault to permanent disfigurement and was released on 8 March 2009. Nicholas Alahverdian – American sex offender and fugitive, who claims mistaken identity. Extradited back to the USA in January 2024. Vincent Reynouard – French holocaust denier and Nazi sympathiser. Peter Tobin – Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol. Tobin died in October 2022.

1. References

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City of Edinburgh Council

The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann) is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of 530,680 in 2024, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. The council took on its current form in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, replacing the City of Edinburgh District Council of the Lothian region, which had been created in 1975. The history of local government in Edinburgh, however, stretches back much further. Around 1130, David I made the town a royal burgh and a burgh council, based at the Old Tolbooth is recorded continuously from the 14th century. The council is currently based in Edinburgh City Chambers with a main office nearby at Waverley Court.

Government Neighbourhood

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Parkhead, Edinburgh

Parkhead is a residential area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was one of the smallest wards in the Edinburgh City Council before a reorganisation into larger multi-member wards in 2007; since then it has been part of the Sighthill/Gorgie ward. Located about 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of the city centre, the area was built in 1940s and contains low-rise houses, mainly in the cottage flat (four-in-a-block) format with Art Deco features and unique red roofs. Parkhead is bounded to the north by the A71 Calder Road (with the Fairbrae and Broomhouse neighbourhoods beyond), to the east by Longstone Road and a development at 'The Green' completed in 2021, to the west by Sighthill, and to the south by Murrayburn Road (opposite the Lothian Buses Longstone Depot, as well as the Murrayburn Depot which in 2019 has been secured for the future housing development of around 200 units).

Neighbourhood

Longstone, Edinburgh

Longstone is a suburb of Edinburgh in Scotland. The area is primarily residential in nature, although the area includes several small shops, eateries and supermarkets, as well as one of the main bus depots for the city's buses. The population of Longstone (including Saughton) was 4,678 in 2019.

Neighbourhood Shopping

Saughton

Saughton () is a suburb of the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, bordering Broomhouse, Stenhouse, Longstone and Carrick Knowe. In Lowland Scots, a "sauch" is a willow. The Water of Leith flows by here. It is the location of HM Prison Edinburgh, known colloquially as "Saughton Prison", in the south of the district. The A71 road, one of the main city arteries, runs through the area – it is known here as Calder Road, becoming Stenhouse Road and Gorgie Road further east. Saughton Park, a large public park, has facilities including Scotland's largest skatepark; it is located on the opposite side of Stenhouse from the core of the Saughton neighbourhood. Actually situated in the Broomhouse area and fronting onto Broomhouse Drive, Saughton House is a large Government office, built in the 1950s, which houses the Scottish Government, Scottish Courts Service, and a number of other Government offices.

Fire Station Neighbourhood