Inspection finds young women's prison in 'state of crisis'

Women's prison Cornton Vale in central Scotland housed 29 convicted young offenders and 11 on remand at the time of the inspection. Chief inspector Hugh Monro said the prison was not performing to a satisfactory standard, due to overcrowding.

Young offenders were described as living in poor conditions, with some having to wait up to two hours to use the toilet due to an inefficient electronic unlocking system. "For women (and particularly young offenders) the electronic unlock system is unacceptable," said Monro.

He added: "The mix of prisoners, particularly when young offenders are sharing with adults, is not always right or appropriate."

Monro also found that the prison's Mother and Baby Unit was not fit for purpose, and that due to overcrowding prisoners who were not pregnant were also living in the unit.

A spokesman for Scottish community justice organisation Sacro said: "Today’s report into the state of Cornton Vale women’s prison identifies an institution 'in crisis'. What constitutes this crisis is not a failing prison regime but a failure of the Scottish justice system to deal appropriately with many of the women who come into contact with it."

He added: "Despite the best efforts of the prison service, the prison governor herself admits that many of her prisoners could be better dealt with in the community and the fact there are so many women on short sentences is having a detrimental effect on prison operations. When this view is shared by the chief inspector of prisons and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, surely it is time to start making real use of the viable and effective interventions provided by Scotland’s third sector."