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Scottish Prison Service

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Scottish Prison Service Reviews

2.8

45% would recommend to a friend

(62 total reviews)

Teresa Medhurst

67% approve of CEO

26% positive business outlook

Scottish Prison Service has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 62 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Scottish Prison Service employee rating is 23% below average for employers within the Government and public administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

62 reviews
1.0
12 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pension and some benefits. Annual leave entitlement

Cons

Awful working environment Work life balance non existent Discrimination and bullying are common place High degree of nepotism in recruitment and promotion process Poor culture , no regard for employee safety Corrupt organisation Highly short staffed , always understaffed

1.0
26 Apr 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are very few pros about working for the SPS. Time off is probably the only one.

Cons

Treated like a dog by Senior Managers. They get a kick out of sacking people and handing them investigation paperwork. So much as sneeze and you will find yourself at a misconduct meeting. This prison is known as the worst in Scotland to work at. Don't sell your soul. Days off? Expect them to phone you at 17.00 asking you to start a nightshift a couple of hours later.

1.0
14 Mar 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent salary, overtime and annual leave

Cons

Management are hell bent on making dangerous decisions putting staff safety at risk. They will side with the cons before staff and if you dare speak out then you get a target put on your back and get treated unfairly for the rest of your career. You can only get promotion opportunities if you crawl up the backsides of senior management. And the ones who get promoted isnt on their own merit as they are lazy, snidey and two faced and terrible at the job. A lot of good staff are overlooked for opportunities and end up leaving for better. It is very cliquey so if you arent in that you get treated like dirt. Senior management also use staff to get their own promotions. They will unfairly sack you and use your situation as an example for furthering their career. There are way better careers out there where they treat their staff with respect and fairness and dont put them in danger

Viewing 1 - 3 of 62 Reviews

Glassdoor has 65 Scottish Prison Service reviews submitted anonymously by Scottish Prison Service employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Scottish Prison Service is right for you.