A north-east MSP has challenged Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to resolve on-going issues at HMP Grampian.
Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald issued the comments in relation to offenders who have been moved out of the facility to prisons in the central belt.
The £140 million super jail, which is based in Peterhead, took on its first prisoners in March. The facility replaced HMP Peterhead and Craiginches in Aberdeen.
Mr Macdonald said: “Kenny MacAskill said when he closed Craiginches Prison that the new HMP Grampian would be a community-facing jail, housing male and female prisoners and young offenders under the same roof.
“But now young offenders have been moved to Polmont, with no indication of when they might return to HMP Grampian. Families are finding it difficult to visit, which can only make it harder for young offenders to change their ways.
“If Ministers cannot deliver the community-facing jail they promised when they closed Aberdeen’s prison, then they should tell us why.
“As opponents of the closure of Craiginches said at the time, replacing a prison in Aberdeen with one in Peterhead risks being seen as an expensive failure.”
Nearly 200 offenders were moved from the prison following a disturbance in May. During the incident, nearly 40 prisoners barricaded themselves in a communal hall in the Ellon section.
The stand-off between staff and inmates lasted almost 14 hours, and caused nearly £150,000 worth of damage. Police enquiries into the incident are still on-going.
Scottish ministers were unable to comment last night, as the movement of prisoners is an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS).
However an SPS spokesman said: “The full resources and expertise of SPS is available to, and has been supporting, the Governor at HMP Grampian.
“The foundations are in place on which we will build the future, with progress being made and a growing confidence that the prison has stabilised.
“Work is ongoing in Grampian reviewing the regime to ensure that it offers the full range of opportunities and challenges necessary for prisoners to re-enter society less likely to reoffend.
“SPS remains committed to having a fully functioning community facing prison as soon as possible.”