Anger at part-time prisons for women
WOMEN criminals would be allowed to serve ‘part time’ prison sentences under controversial new proposals to tackle reoffending.
Female prisoners in Scotland would be let out at weekends or during the week in a radical move to give them time with their families or allow them to hold down a job.
The move has been recommended by experts commissioned by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), and published in a new report. But critics attacked the move last night.
At present, prisoners serve most of their sentences behind bars and are only allowed out towards the end of their jail term, when they can be released for work or home leave.
But a group of international justice experts has issued ‘advice’ to the SPS suggesting part-time prison would help tackle reoffending by improving the prospects of women in custody. The move, which is in place in other countries, sees different sentencing options for women who have jobs, are at college or have families.
Women can receive ‘weekends off’ from jail to minimise disruption to their family lives; alternatively, some could spend weekends behind bars, leaving them free to work or study Monday to Friday.
The SPS recently held an international symposium on the ‘future direction of custody for women in Scotland’.
It concluded that ‘exploring different patterns of custody’ would ‘enable contact with the community’ and ‘offer sustainable levels of care for women’.
Around 360 women – some of them repeat offenders guilty of violent crime and drug offences – are held in Scottish prisons, including the notorious Cornton Vale, Stirling.
However, the all-female jail is being closed down gradually from later this year, after being deemed ‘not fit for purpose’. Instead, prisoners will be held in one main new women’s prison on the same site and in five, smaller, regional units.
A report on the international symposium, by SPS adviser Dr Gill Robinson, gives ‘advice’ on how to maintain the family contacts of female prisoners and improve their chances of living a crime-free life in future. It effectively suggests that some women should serve their sentences part-time.
The report concludes that the SPS should establish ‘ new principles for custody for women that take due account of public safety and also offer sustainable levels of care for women. ’
Last night, a spokesman for the Scottish Tories said: ‘Some victims may feel that these proposals send the wrong signals to criminals.
‘Custodial sentences are handed down by the courts to protect public safety and as punishment commensurate with the crime committed.
‘Under these circumstances, people will rightly wonder why prison is becoming part-time.’
A spokeswoman for the SPS said the move would be a ‘policy matter’ for the Scottish Government.
She added: ‘The symposium took place to hear best practice from around the world on managing women in custody. The symposium report collated all the information received.’
The Scottish Government last night said that it would not comment on future policy matters ahead of the election.