Posted
10:07 am
by Ken
Visiting Barlinnie
Earlier this year I gave a talk and Q&A at Partick Library. Out of this came an unexpected invitation: to talk about my work in Scotlandโs largest prison. Soโฆ
On Tuesday 7 July I visited HMP Barlinnie for an interview and Q&A in the library portion of the Resource Hub. My interviewer was David Sweeten of Glasgow Life Libraries, and the questions came from prisoners โ all men, of course. That aside, it was very similar to an author event in a library or bookshop. The audience had gratifyingly well-considered and searching questions. As you can see, science fiction and fantasy are well represented in the prison library.

Before the event, resource hub officer David McAlpine took me on a tour of as much of the prison as possible, starting with the inside of an unoccupied cell. Just standing there with the door open gave me claustrophobia. Most cells have two occupants, a situation which the authorities agree is unsatisfactory and hope to remedy when the replacement prison is built. Conditions as far as I could see are clean and decent. Facilities for recreation, education, and occupation are plentiful and well used. All the murals on the inside walls, and all the metal sculptures in the grounds, were made by prisoners. Prison work is no longer punitive toil: library, laundry, garden and grounds work, cooking and serving food, etc, are done by inmates, as an earned privilege.
All in all, an interesting experience, which I hope was as useful for my audience as it was to me. Many thanks to all who made it possible.
[
Photos courtesy of the Scottish Prison Service.]
Well done, Ken! A very interesting day out for you! I'm it was enjoyed by the prisoners, as well! Hopefully you inspired them all! ๐๐
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Anonymous, at
Wednesday, September 09, 2026 11:02:00 am