HM Prison Aberdeen (formerly known as Craiginches) is a medium-security prison, located in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. The prison is managed by the Scottish Prison Service. Known as one of the most overcrowded prisons in Scotland, it has a design capacity of 155 and is contracted to hold up to 230 prisoners. However, on the first day of an inspection in January 2009 it held 264 prisoners.
In recent years it has seen an increase in inmates from outwith the Grampian Sheriffdom, mainly from Wolverhampton and London. The diverse population leads to many internal feuds and disputes. It runs exceptional drug rehabilitation programmes and has been a pioneer for drug projects such as drug use kits etc. The management also wish to pilot a needle exchange programme. In August 2007 Aberdeen Prison was chosen to pilot a new initiative called the Substance Related Offending Behaviour Program (SROBP) which looks at prisoners finding the relationship between their substance use and their offending behaviour. This programme has been very sucessesful in reducing rates of recidivism. Aberdeen Prison was also recognised for its investment in in-house Bereavement Counselling services. On 4 June 2008, it was announced that HMP Aberdeen and HMP Peterhead will be merged into a "Super Prison" and a new state of the art Prison built on the Peterhead Site. This "Super-Jail" will accommodate approx 500 places and the new Prison will be known as HMP Grampian. Contracts and Planning permission has still to be granted.
Henry John Burnett, the last man to be executed in Scotland, was hanged inside the prison on 15 August 1963.