Concernfor pregnant prisoners
Prison and healthcare staff and prisonsers themselves raised concerns about some pregnant women being placed in Ross House, given the “potential volatility” of a small number of the women housed there.
The inspectors said pregnant women should not routinely be housed in that part of the prison, whose inmates include all prisoners spending their first night in custody and vulnerable women with complex health needs.
But they acknowledged that staff try to make it as safe an environment as possible.
In terms of residential accommodation Cornton Vale now consists of two main house blocks, Peebles House and Ross House, plus the Dumyat separation and segregation unit and the independent living units located outside the prison.
Inspectors said: “Whilst staffing levels in Ross House have increased since our last visit, it remains a complex and challenging environment for the staff and women alike.
“Indeed it is now more complex as it contains the first night in custody unit, placing additional pressures on the staff in this area both in terms of the complexity of the population and the regime configuration.
“Nursing and SPS staff, however, took pride in their work and were encouraged from seeing women’s mental and physical health improving as a result of the care and support they could now provide in Ross House.”