Twenty weapons were recovered from the Scottish Prison Service’s “super jail” last year.
A freedom of information request, submitted before the trial of alleged rioters at HMP Grampian, has revealed it had one of the highest incidences in Scotland of weapons being found inside the facility.
All the items were recovered by prison staff between April 2015 and March 2016.
The figure at the state-of-the-art facility was the same as that recorded by YOI Polmont and HMP Perth for the number of bladed and non-bladed weapons discovered.
Young offenders from Grampian were moved to Polmont in 2014 following the 15-hour riot.
Inmates caused £150,000 worth of damage during the incident after a disagreement with prison staff.
Many of the prison’s facilities were destroyed and guards were attacked before officers stormed the jail in riot gear with Pava spray.
Four of the six men involved were eventually found guilty of a reduced charge of causing a breach of the peace when the trial finished earlier last month.
However, the Scottish Prison Service has maintained it is “not in a position” for the young offenders to return to the £140million facility.
This is despite calls from local MSP Lewis Macdonald to have the men and women returned to be closer to their families.
He said: “Keeping them at Polmont means they have access to a wider range of services, but it will make it harder for them to keep in touch with their families in the north-east.”
Mr Macdonald has been backed by Strathclyde University professor Nancy Loucks in his campaign.
The law, crime and justice lecturer added: “A location close to home is also critical for support from agencies such as local social work teams and through care.”
But, in a letter, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson claimed Polmont would help young offenders “make the most of their time in custody and give them the most effective preparation for release”.
The FOI revealed that 274 weapons in total were recovered from Scottish prisons during the 12-month period.
The most – 42 – were found in Edinburgh.
