United Kingdom · Scotland · Shotts
HMP Shotts
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit HMP Shotts
Step-by-step guidance using the United Kingdom system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Scotland's principal long-term male prison. Includes a Separation and Reintegration Unit.
Background
HM Prison Shotts is a prison near Shotts, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is a prison holding male prisoners with maximum security classification. Shotts exclusively holds prisoners serving a term of five years or longer, with some prisoners being transferred from other prisons due to a need for a more secure environment. The original prison was opened in 1978 with a design capacity of 528 inmates; the prison was completely rebuilt and new facilities opened in 2012, with a capacity of 538 adult male prisoners.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
540
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1978
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 22 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Operator
Scottish Prison ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
1978
Region
Scotland
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
HMI Prisons publishes independent inspection reports on roughly a 3-5 year cycle.
Visiting
Booked online via the GOV.UK Prison Visits Booking system. Photo ID required. Visit frequency depends on the inmate's Incentives & Earned Privileges (IEP) level.
Mailing
Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Shotts, Canthill Road, ML7 4LE. Cash not accepted — use Send Money to a Prisoner (GOV.UK).
Practical info
Assisted Prison Visits Unit helps low-income families with travel costs. Pact runs many of the on-site visitor centres.
Known issues
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
- Overcrowding
- 0/30
- Oversight reports
- 0/30
- Structural flags
- 0/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 0/10
This facility scores 0. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 4 points below national average.
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- HMP StyalWilmslowHighClosed female
- HMP NottinghamNottinghamHighLocal
- HMP BristolBristolHighLocal
- Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal CentreClapham, BedfordHighImmigration removal
- HMP BronzefieldAshford, SurreyHighClosed female94% occupancy
- HMP BirminghamBirminghamHighLocal
Compared to other facilities in United Kingdom
583 peersHigher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Data completeness
94%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- GOV.UK â HMP Shotts
- HMI Prisons inspection reports
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Find a prison â GOV.UK — UK Ministry of Justice / HMPPS
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons â reports — HMI Prisons (UK)
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata (Q5635259)
- Wikipedia
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). HMP Shotts. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-shotts
"HMP Shotts." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-shotts.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-shotts,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Shotts},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-shotts},
urldate = {2026-10-20}
}