HMP Low Moss at a glance
- Type
- Prison (national service establishment)
- Holds
- Men
- Run by
- Scottish Prison Service
- Nation
- Scotland
- Region (geographic)
- Scotland
- Town / county
- Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire
- Postcode
- G64 2QB
Official description (GOV.UK/SPS/NI Justice): “Opened March 2012; remand, short-term, long-term, life and OLR prisoners, primarily North Strathclyde.” Official page.
Pay and conditions are set by SPS, not HMPPS; the E&W pay bands, pay zones and market supplements do not apply. SPS publishes no operational capacity figure on the establishment page.
A modern prison under pressure
In shortLow Moss is a modern 2012 prison holding more men than its 784 design capacity.
- OpenedMarch 2012The original Low Moss closed in May 2007 and was demolished; every cell is en suite
- Design capacity784SPS, 9 September 2025
- Held on first day of Aug 2025 inspection835Up from 828 at the previous inspection in early 2022, despite two tranches of early release
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) says Low Moss manages men primarily from the North Strathclyde area. It lies north of Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire.
- Men on remand.
- Short-term prisoners (under four years) and long-term prisoners (four years or more).
- Life-sentence prisoners and extended-sentence prisoners (Order for Lifelong Restriction).
- A links centre where people can deal with employment, housing, social work and addiction services, plus facilities to help address offending and prepare for release.
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde provides healthcare and PeoplePlus the learning service.
What inspectors found in August 2025
In shortFour standards were satisfactory, four generally acceptable and one poor (transitions), with overcrowding the dominant theme.
- Inspected25 to 29 Aug 202570 desired outcomes recorded
- Poor1Transitions from custody to life in the community
- Extra spaces created by overcrowding cellsAround 10020 cells out of action on day one
The Chief Inspector called it another case study in the consequences of overcrowding. The dedicated First Night in Custody unit had been lost, prisoners were arriving from as far away as Peterhead, and much daily effort went on finding spaces.
Positives
- A well-functioning reception with experienced staff
- An excellent focus on hygiene and cleanliness
- Good pre-release work at the six-week stage
- New therapeutic interventions including Therapet dogs and a recovery hub
- Strong multi-faith and family contact work, peer support and body-worn camera pilots
- A sufficient range of purposeful employment
Low points
- Programme suspensions
- A backlog of risk assessments in the prison-based social work team
- Limited vocational qualifications and low attendance at education
- Reluctance among some staff to manage offence-protection prisoners
- Prisoners held on Rules in the residential areas sometimes had fresh-air time halved to manage numbers
- A new complaints logging system introduced in July 2025, but prisoner confidence remained low
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Felt safe all or most of the time | 53% (not significantly different from comparator prisons) |
| Said they had witnessed staff abusing, bullying, threatening or assaulting other prisoners | 63% (significantly worse than comparators) |
| Said staff had done this to them | 48% |
| Felt treated with respect | About half (significantly lower than comparators) |
| Said the complaints system worked badly | 86% |
Source: HMIPS Report on Full Inspection of HMP Low Moss, 25 to 29 August 2025. Survey responses are prisoners’ perceptions; HMIPS noted that specific instances of staff ill-treatment had been taken seriously by management and referred for police investigation and internal disciplinary proceedings.
Staffing, overtime and relationships
In shortHMIPS said long-term reliance on overtime was unsustainable, while monitors described a busy, functioning prison.
- Staff with under two years’ experience20%
Low Moss relied on ex-gratia, overtime and bank shifts to cover the extra staffing agreed for the additional 100 prisoners. HMIPS said using overtime long term is unsustainable and that staff were exhausted and unwilling to work extra hours.
Staffing the residential areas to deliver visits, meals, fresh air and recreation came at the expense of personal officer work, employment, education and the gym.
Inspectors, August 2025
- Excellent examples of the relationships they expect
- Where staff groups were more consistent, relationships were better
- Staff mostly at their desks rather than in the sections
Monitors, 2024-25
- A busy, functioning prison with many good-practice examples against a rising population
- Welcomed support from senior management
- Good visibility of senior managers
Working at Low Moss
In shortLow Moss is in the SPS central-belt recruitment area on SPS terms: a large, modern, busy prison with high demand on staff time.
Low Moss is within the SPS central-belt recruitment area, with intakes planned through the year. Terms are set by the SPS, not HMPPS.
- The inspection says the prison’s induction for direct-entrant staff involves shadowing operational staff for four weeks.
- It adds that a formal mentoring scheme for all new recruits would be beneficial.
| Route | Start | Within three years |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Officer | £37,682 | £44,248 |
| Operations Officer | £30,789 | £34,878 |
Subject to pay progression. Selection: situational judgement and cognitive ability tests, group and written exercises, interview, pre-employment checks and a fitness test.
Officer pay at HMP Low Moss
HMP Low Moss is run by the Scottish Prison Service, which sets its own pay and conditions outside the England and Wales review body. SPS recruits prison officers through two parallel routes, and from 1 April 2026 a Residential Officer starts on £37,682 (rising to £44,248 within three years) while an Operations Officer starts on £30,789 (rising to £34,878), both subject to pay progression. The SPS adverts we read list a 35-hour week for both. Allowances and the grade on a specific vacancy can differ, so read the live advert.
Latest inspection
No HMIP report for HMP Low Moss in the Inspectorate's feed. Scottish prisons are inspected by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, whose reports we have not parsed.
Working at HMP Low Moss and how to apply
SPS advertises all its establishments' vacancies on one careers site. Read the live advert for closing dates and assessment-centre details.
- SPS careers (official site).
- Official establishment page, including visiting and contact details.
- How to become a prison officer: eligibility, vetting, assessment centre, fitness test and training.
- Recruitment timeline tool and commute cost calculator.
Postcode: G64 2QB. View on a map. GOV.UK gives no railway station for this prison.
Other prisons in Scotland
These establishments are in the same county or region (17 listed in Scotland). See all of them in one table.
Related guides
HMP Low Moss: frequently asked questions
What do officers earn at HMP Low Moss?
From 1 April 2026 an SPS Residential Officer starts on £37,682 (£44,248 within three years) and an Operations Officer on £30,789 (£34,878), both subject to progression. SPS adverts list a 35-hour week for both.
What type of prison is HMP Low Moss?
No official functional group was found for HMP Low Moss. Its official description reads: "Opened March 2012; remand, short-term, long-term, life and OLR prisoners, primarily North Strathclyde."
How many prisoners can HMP Low Moss hold?
No verified operational capacity: SPS does not publish a comparable figure.
Has HMP Low Moss been inspected?
We found no HMIP report for HMP Low Moss (Scottish prisons are inspected by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, which we have not parsed).
How do I apply to work at HMP Low Moss?
Through the SPS careers site.
When did HMP Low Moss open?
The SPS says it opened in March 2012. HMIPS records that the original Low Moss prison closed in May 2007, was demolished and replaced by the current buildings, in which every cell has en suite facilities. The new prison replaced the earlier buildings on the same site.
What did HMIPS find at HMP Low Moss in 2025?
After inspecting on 25 to 29 August 2025, HMIPS rated four standards satisfactory, four generally acceptable and one, transitions from custody, poor. It focused on overcrowding, with 835 prisoners against a design capacity of 784, reliance on overtime and bank shifts, and prisoner perceptions of staff.
Who is held at HMP Low Moss?
The SPS says men on remand, short-term, long-term, life-sentence and Order for Lifelong Restriction prisoners, primarily from the North Strathclyde area. HMIPS found in 2025 that it was also receiving prisoners from outside its catchment because of pressure elsewhere in the estate.
Sources and method
Data as at 3 October 2026; see our methodology. Independent of HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice and the POA; not legal or financial advice. Out of date? Tell us.
- SPS: HMP Low Moss establishment page (opened 2026-10-03)
- HMIPS: Report on Full Inspection of HMP Low Moss, 25 to 29 August 2025 (opened 2026-10-03)
- HMIPS: Independent Prison Monitoring annual report, HMP Low Moss, 2024-25 (opened 2026-10-03)
- SPS: Freedom of Information response HQ25224, 9 September 2025 (design capacity by establishment, HMP Highland and HMP Glasgow) (opened 2026-10-03)
- SPS: Prison Officer - Residential careers page (pay from 1 April 2026, selection stages, intake dates) (opened 2026-10-03)
- SPS: Prison Officer - Operations careers page (Operations Officer pay and duties) (opened 2026-10-03)
- SPS: Pre-Employment Checks (checks, fitness test standards) (opened 2026-10-03)
Not verified for this prison: HMIPS publication date of the August 2025 report was not recorded; it is dated by the inspection week.; Survey figures are prisoner perceptions reported by HMIPS and were not independently verified.; No Low Moss-specific recruitment page or vacancy numbers were found..