Scotland is ‘first country to introduce pain-free restraint in all prisons’

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) believes it is the first prison system in the world to introduce a pain-free system of restraint across all of its jails.

Its new method of control, known as “the tripod”, is being introduced gradually across Scotland starting this year. It involves two officers holding a prisoner by the arms and wrists and restricting the movement of their legs, while a lead officer takes hold of the prisoner’s head and brings it down to their upper chest. The positions taken by the three officers are intended to create the stability of a tripod, with the prisoner wedged in the middle. The lead officer tries to talk to the prisoner to calm things down.

The tripod is designed to keep prisoners on their feet, instead of forcing them to the floor. The method replaces pain-inducing holds such as “wrist flexion”, in which a prisoner’s wrists are bent back painfully. 

The Prison Officers Association (POA) has supported the initiative. The SPS said the technique, which builds on methods used in social care settings and secure hospitals, would reduce injuries among prison officers and inmates. It said that it would take time to train all of its 3,500 front-line staff in the method. Pilot schemes involving young offenders at HMP Polmont, women at HMP Stirling, and men at HMP Low Moss are claimed to have been a success.

The method has been developed in response to human rights laws, and comes a decade after the death of 30-year-old Allan Marshall, who was restrained face down by up to 17 officers at HMP Edinburgh in 2015. Last year saw 3,760 incidents where prisoners were restrained in Scotland’s jails.

Wrist flexion will still be used in situations where there is a risk of death or serious injury. Dr Frank Slokan, who led the development of restraint reduction within the SPS and has written a PhD thesis on the subject, said: “We found that the highest risk restraints are when you’re on the floor. The use of wrist flexions and pain-inducing holds with individuals who are significantly mentally distressed, or have used substances, can escalate situations. We’ve had a number of other prison services come to us and want to learn more about what we’ve been doing – and that’s not just in the UK, that’s internationally.” 

The POA has backed the change but said it needed to be brought in with care and with appropriate training. The trade union’s assistant chairman Phil Fairlie said: “We were a bit nervous and sceptical at the beginning as to whether this was going to work or not. What we’ve discovered is that we can take control of these situations every bit as effectively as we used to do with the old control and restraint training. There’s an added benefit in being able to keep a calm and controlled environment in the prison through the use of these techniques.”