Prison to Rehab placement data: FOI release

Information requested

1. The total number of Prison to Rehab placements that were made available or funded by the Scottish Government in each year since 2022.

2. The number of prisoners who were offered a place on the Prison to Rehab pathway in each year since 2022.

3. The number of prisoners who:

a) accepted a place

b) started a placement

c) completed a placement lasting at least 12 weeks in each year since 2022.

4. Any information held that explains the gap between:

• the number of prisoners offered a place, and
• the number who completed a 12-week placement.

Response

The Scottish Government provides funding to support access to the Prison to Rehab pathway, and we therefore record the number of individuals who receive this funding. The information we hold covers the start and end dates of the residential treatment episode. However, the Scottish Government does not collect data beyond the residential component of treatment and has no role in clinical decision‑making.

Public Health Scotland publishes an annual core minimum dataset for residential rehabilitation. Their most recent publication, Evaluation of the Scottish Government Residential Rehabilitation Programme, was issued on 28 October 2025, and includes data relating to Prison to Rehab placements.

The Scottish Government maintains records of all grants approved through the Prison to Rehab pathway by financial year.

Based on these records:

1. For the purposes of this response, the number of placements made available or funded is counted as the total number of placement referral notifications even if they were not taken any further by the Residential Rehabilitation Provider.

2. For the purposes of this response, an individual is counted as offered a place when a residential rehabilitation provider is issued with a Grant Offer Letter. This includes cases where the individual later declines or is unable to attend the placement.

3. The number of prisoners who:

a) Accepted a place: For the purposes of this response this is where a Grant Offer Letter was returned.

b) Started a placement: For the purposes of this response this where a start date is recorded.

c) Completed a placement: For the purposes of this response this where a completion is recorded on status.

Data Summary Table

Category	Pre‑2023	2023–2024	2024–2025	2025–2026*
1. Total number	89	69	65	83
2. Grant Offer Letter Issued	49	65	62	75
3. Grant Offer Letter Returned	48	47	60	72
4. Start Date	48	47	60	72
5. Status Complete	21	8	17	6

*Data for 2025–2026 is still being collected and is therefore incomplete.

4. Information explaining the gap between offers and 12‑week completions

Records indicate that the gap between the number of individuals offered placements and those completing them is due to a combination of personal, clinical, and justice‑related factors.

Some individuals do not enter placements despite accepting them, often because of changes in circumstances, prescribing or liberation issues, or administrative delays.

Early departures commonly relate to difficulties with abstinence‑based settings, health or wellbeing problems, family pressures, or justice outcomes such as unresolved legal matters. Overall, non‑completion result from varied individual circumstances rather than a single cause.

About FOI

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