Scotland's Maximum Security Hospital Administers Weight Loss Injections to 95% Overweight Violent Offenders

Scotland's maximum-security State Hospital at Carstairs, which houses some of the country's most dangerous offenders including murderers and rapists, is facing a severe obesity crisis with 95% of patients overweight despite access to gyms and exercise facilities. The problem is exacerbated by patients consuming sugary snacks from the hospital shop or brought in by visitors, alongside medication side effects and sedentary lifestyles. To address this, doctors have started prescribing weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, known as GLP-1 agonists, which suppress appetite and have transformed obesity treatment. These drugs are normally restricted by the NHS to patients with a BMI of 38 or higher plus another obesity-related health condition, but the hospital has begun offering them to eligible offenders under this criteria. Initial results show some improvement, with the proportion of patients at a healthy weight increasing slightly. The hospital's health program aligns with the Scottish Medicines Consortium guidance, aiming to mitigate the longstanding obesity challenge in this population.