A HOLYROOD committee has called on the SNP Scottish government to take action on Scotland’s overcrowded and crumbling prisons at “crisis point.”

In December, finance watchdog Audit Scotland warned that “significant investment” was needed to make the prison estate fit for purpose and warned that the Scottish Prison Service’s (SPS) contract with outsourcing specialist GEOAmey to transport prisoners to courts had caused “significant delays and inefficiencies across the justice system” amid staff shortages.

Fines on the company topping £4 million and the issuing of improvement notices by the SPS had had “little effect” according to Audit Scotland, as it warned the SPS and the Scottish government they could face legal action from prisoners amid concerns their human rights were being breached when they had court appearances delayed or missed medical appointments.