The lag of luxury
New women’s jail will have hair salon, manicures, a garden and a ‘contemplation area’ for inmates
SCOTLAND’S new state-of-the-art women’s prison will offer inmates a ‘relaxed’ regime – complete with a gym, ‘contemplation area’ and hair salon.
The new jail, set to replace HMP Cornton Vale in Stirling, will house the country’s most notorious female offenders.
Now The Scottish Mail on Sunday can reveal jail bosses plan to focus on an informal, social rehabilitation approach to custody such as that in Holland and Scandinavia.
The new prison, with a capacity of 80 when it opens in 2020, will have outdoor spaces for gardening, a gym, a health centre and a ‘quiet area of contemplation’. It will also offer luxuries such as hair, makeup and manicure appointments to improve inmates’ ‘self-worth’.
The soft regime, set out in a new published design and building contract, has angered justice campaigners. National Victim’s Association founder David Hines, whose daughter was murdered in 1992, said: ‘Prisons should be punishment. Sentences have been so diluted in recent years and now prison itself does not take away people’s liberties. The benefits and care and resources given to the perpetrators of crime far outweighs what victims receive.’
Firms bidding to take part in the multi-million-pound ‘design and build’ project for the prison, known as the Women’s National Facility, have been made aware of the Scottish Government’s ‘new strategy’ for women in custody.
The contract notice states: ‘This facility will be for women who are assessed as potentially requiring more intensive management and supervision.’
It adds that it will provide a range of services that aim to reduce reoffending through ‘person-centred approaches that are age and gender specific, within a safe and secure environment’. The proposed services will include ‘a health centre serviced by Forth Valley Health Board; education facilities for teaching and developing life skills; outdoor areas and a gymnasium to promote healthy living and fitness; and a quiet area for contemplation where women can also attend faith services’.
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: ‘Women tend not to try to escape from prison so security and prisoner separation is not going to be nearly as rigorous as it would be for men. In Scotland, there has been a growing concern that we need to do something different for women.’
There was significant public concern for the welfare of female prisoners in the mid-1990s after eight women took their own lives in three years at Cornton Vale.
The spokesman added: ‘Many women entering prison have been the victims of violence and abuse and often the crimes they go on to commit are influenced by their background.
‘There will always be people claiming we make things too cushy but we’re not talking about leisure centres and cinemas here.’