Figures released today show that the average daily prison population was 7,376 in 2007/08, representing an increase of three per cent over the previous year, and an increase of 22 per cent over the past ten years.

Anecdotal testimony from senior figures in the priosn establishment suggest claims that policy decisions such as the Bail Act of December 2007 have impacted heavily on prison numbers.  The Barlinnie estate has seen its numbers rise from 1400 to 1700 in only four years.

"This continues the upward trend observed during the early 1990s, in contrast to the previous two decades where the average daily prison population fluctuated around the 5,000 mark," the Scottish Government said in a statement. 

The majority of the prison population are sentenced prisoners, with a daily average of 5,815 in 2007/08, about 4 per cent more than in 2006/07.