Barlinnie Prison destroyed me but it also saved me, says notorious Scottish murderer Jimmy Boyle

He was widely considered Scotland’s most dangerous man, a career criminal with an unquenchable thirst for extreme violence against anyone who came his way.

Now, in his first interview in 25 years, gangster-turned-sculptor Jimmy Boyle has spoken about his brutality against the authorities who tried to contain him and his redemption through the remarkable prison experiment that he says saved his life .

Boyle, now 80, was one of the first prisoners selected to join the notorious special unit at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow.

As the notorious prison is set to close and be replaced by a 21st century facility a few miles away, Boyle said: “Barlinnie Prison destroyed me – but it also built me ​​up and made me a better person.”

Boyle was born in the city’s Gorbals during the Second World War and was four years old when his father died. Because his mother had to work from 5 a.m. every day, he explained how he was drawn into street gang violence at a young age.

Boyle in a 1963 police mugshot

This led to regular stays in prison before he was sentenced to life in prison for murder in 1967.

In a BBC documentary about Barlinnie, which begins this week, he said: “I was 22 and for me it was a death sentence. “I acted as if my life was over.

“I went to the governor and he was trying to be smart, so I leaned over, punched him, broke his jaw, and the whole staff jumped on me.”

“That was the beginning of my prison journey.” I fought the system with every fiber of my being.

“I didn’t even see the staff as people. I just grabbed one and bit it on the neck or ear until I passed out.’

Relentless attacks on the staff followed, which only prolonged his sentence. Caught in an endless cycle of confrontations from which there seems to be no way out, he was chosen in February 1973 to be part of an extraordinary experiment: a prison within a prison built in Barlinnie and known simply as the Special Forces.

Boyle spoke of his first impressions of the “luxury” before his eyes: “a bed, a mattress and even a small desk” and of his amazement when he was symbolically presented with a pair of scissors to open a package of his belongings of the trust that the residents.

It was to be another scissors episode that would be a turning point, and he said: “A few months later a prisoner held a pair of scissors to a prison officer’s throat and he tried to kill him.”

“I grabbed the scissors and took them from him.” The prison guard burst into tears and said, “Thank you, Jimmy.”

“He had just had a child six weeks ago and suddenly I saw this guy as a father with a child and at that point I became human.”

Among the innovations was a therapeutic art program. Boyle said, “Art was so far removed from our world.” It was for the little ones, not us.

“I took a portrait and it was like a dam had broken in front of me.” “It was the first positive thing I did in my life.”

Boyle was released in 1982 after a spell in Saughton Prison and went on to become a successful artist and author.

His work required enormous fees and he invested in the rehabilitation of prisoners and young people.

The killer was pictured at his home in France this year

The infamous Barlinnie Prison is about to be replaced with a 21st century facility

The task force continued its work and faced increasing criticism due to reports of prisoners drinking and partying.

It was abolished in 1994, but was considered a success overall, with only four of the 36 violent inmates re-offending.

The topics of therapy and well-being still shape the way prisons work today. Boyle concluded: “There is no way I would be here today if it hadn’t been for the special forces unit.”

Mick Stoney, the current governor of Barlinnie, told the documentary: “Restricting a person’s freedom is the punishment and everything else should focus on attempts at positive rehabilitation and support.”

“I want to replace the celebrity of Barlinnie with a positive image of Glasgow and ensure the new prison can make a difference to people and enable them to thrive.”

The three-part series explores the range of issues affecting the prison, from containing dangerous and violent inmates to trying to provide work assignments for those who want to try to make the most of their time “inside.”

However, life in prison remains grim for most, with one inmate telling the cameras: “I wouldn’t recommend it. ‘I wouldn’t recommend it at all.’

■ Inside Barlinnie is on BBC Scotland on Tuesday at 10pm. From then on all episodes will be available on iPlayer.