The Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006

Admission of visitors

101.—(1) Where any person seeks to enter a prison as a visitor, an officer may ask the visitor–

(a) to state his or her name and address and the purpose of his or her visit; and

(b) to deposit for the duration of the visit any article in the visitor’s possession which the officer considers may be prejudicial to security, good order or safety.

(2) No visitor shall smoke in any building which forms part of a prison.

(3) A person to whom rule 73 applies who seeks to enter a prison as a visitor for the purposes of a visit as mentioned in that rule shall, immediately on arrival, inform an officer of their wish to visit the prison in accordance with that rule.

(4) A person who is, or has previously carried on the profession or vocation of, a journalist, an author or a media representative and who seeks to enter a prison for the purpose of visiting a prisoner who is a friend or relative on a personal basis, and not for professional or vocational purposes, shall, immediately on arrival, inform an officer of that fact.

(5) Without prejudice to the powers conferred by section 41 of the Act, an officer may refuse to admit a visitor and may remove the visitor from the prison where–

(a) that visitor refuses to comply with a request made in terms of paragraph (1);

(b) that visitor refuses to give consent for the purposes of rule 102(1) or (3) or, having given consent, is obstructive in the course of the relevant search; or

(c) the officer has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the visitor has in their possession or concealed about their person any article which the Governor has not authorised to be conveyed into the prison or any article which may be prejudicial to security, good order or discipline.

(6) An officer who refuses admission to a visitor in terms of this rule, shall record particulars of the matters, including the reasons for such refusal.

(7) In this rule, and in rules 102 and 103, “visitor” includes any person (other than an officer or employee) visiting the premises comprising the prison (or any part thereof).

(8) The Governor shall ensure that a notice explaining the effect of the provisions of this rule, of rules 102 and 103, of section 41 of the Act and of any direction made for any purpose specified in rule 77(3) shall be displayed prominently in the visits area of the prison.