Jim Wallace: Faces opposition to plans

The Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) has pledged its support to a campaign of opposition.

General secretary of the STUC, Bill Speirs, said the changes were an "absolute disaster".

Mr Wallace's proposals for prison provision also included the closures of Peterhead jail and Low Moss prison, near Bishopbriggs in Dunbartonshire.

The Prison Officers' Association says that would ensure a third of prisoners in Scotland are housed by the private sector - a higher proportion than almost anywhere else in the world.

They say the experience of Kilmarnock, Scotland's only private jail, does not fill them with confidence.

'Bogus costs'

A recent report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons highlighted high staff turnover and a problem with bullying among inmates.

The prison officers want to mobilise public support and highlight what they say is the bogus costing for the new plan.

It is not expected that their campaign would initially involve industrial action.

We will be mounting a leaflet campaign and we will be seeking to convince MSPs that there should be a vote in the Scottish Parliament

Jim Dawson Scottish Prison Officers' Association

But they could resort to a strike should the union fail to change ministers' minds during the 12-week consultation period.

Scottish Prison Officers' Association assistant secretary Jim Dawson said the issue would be raised at the annual conference of the Scottish TUC next week.

"We will be mounting a leaflet campaign and we will be seeking to convince MSPs that there should be a vote in the Scottish Parliament," he said.

Last month, Mr Wallace told MSPs the plans were based on a projection that the prison population would rise by 1,000 over the next 10 years to 7,200.

He said reasons for the rise included the highest police detection rate since 1939 and improved measures to deal with serious and drug-related crime.

The cost of the private sector building and operating three jails would be �600m - creating a total of 2,200 new places.