There was a time when all that prisoners in Britain’s jails could rely upon was a gloopy helping of porridge.
In fact, so frequently was it served that ‘doing porridge’ became the slang term for being incarcerated.
However, a look at the options available to modern-day prisoners in Scotland’s jails shows that rather than being limited to porridge, they can now buy any one of 22 different cereal options from prison shops.
The breakfast selection is among more than 500 individual products that prison bosses say they ‘can make available to those in our care’ – for a price.
The shops also have 82 different types of sweets to choose from, as well as 32 biscuit options, 32 protein bars and shakes, seven supplements, 56 toiletries including hair products and deodorant, eight types of rice, 28 different kinds of noodles and a mixture of nuts and popcorn.
Among the many cereals prisoners can opt to buy are Alpen Original, Honey Monster Puffs and Weetabix, as well as Go Local cornflakes, cookies and cream hoops, chocolate puffs and honey loops.
There are also two varieties of Country Crisp cereal made by food firm Jordans – Chunky Nut and Strawberry.
Products by household brand Kellogg’s are available too, including various pack sizes of Coco Pops, Crunchy Nut, Frosties, Fruit ‘N Fibre and Rice Crispies. Selections on the menu from Nestlé include Cookie Crisp, Cheerios and Honey Cheerios.
The term porridge is so synonymous with serving time that it was even used as the name for a BBC sitcom set in jail, starring Ronnie Barker, left, and Richard Beckinsdale
Frosties are among the many cereals that inmates can buy from the prison shop
While there may be plenty of other options, porridge still features on the list of items
Nonetheless, there are still the traditional porridge options, with brands such as Scott’s and Hamlyn on offer.
‘Doing porridge’ was reflected in the hugely popular BBC sitcom Porridge, which featured the fictional HMP Slade.
The series starred Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as inmates Norman Stanley Fletcher and Lennie Godber, as well as Scots actor Fulton Mackay, who played prison officer Mr Mackay.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said it buys products from a retail supplier and uses the national retail pricing list to determine how much it charges inmates for each item.
It operates a prisoner wage earning policy, specifying rates of pay for various forms of purposeful activity. Those who refuse to work receive no payments.
Public cash is used to fund the £2.7million annual bill for prisoner earnings in Scottish jails.
In 2019, the SPS and Glasgow Caledonian University reviewed the prison policy on wages.
At that time, the prison service’s prisoner wage earning policy specified rates of pay that ranged from £5 per week at the lower end of the pay scale to £18-£21 per week for those working in more demanding roles.
