Highlands' only women's prison unit is shut
The only unit for female inmates at a Highland jail has been shut, angering the senior councillor who chairs the prison’s visiting committee because she was not even told.
The facility at Porterfield Prison in Inverness had space for up to six prisoners and was opened by Scottish Government minister Fergus Ewing three years ago in a blaze of publicity.
It was hailed as an innovative way of working with prisoners as staff tried to integrate prisoners coming to the end of jail terms into the community better and cut the risk of future offending.
There was also space for mother and baby if required.
A total of 17 women have been held since and 12 of them had no further custodial sentences after their release, but it has been temporarily closed by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to "meet the best use of resources".
But councillor Margaret Paterson only discovered the unit was shut in a report to Highland Council’s adult and children’s services committee and said it was a "sad" move because it left nowhere in the region for female offenders to serve their jail terms.
The female wing at Porterfield had originally shut in 2008 to ease overcrowding in the male cells and prisoners were sent to Cornton Vale in Stirling instead.
But the recently-installed prison governor has insisted the service has not permanently shut and said it was because there was a lack of women meeting the entry criteria.
Councillor Paterson (Dingwall), the chairwoman of the Inverness Prison Visiting Committee - which reviews Porterfield’s operation and hears any prisoner complaints - said it left inmates’ families having to travel long distances for visiting while women with young children could also suffer.
"It is really sad, I was not aware [of the closure] and surprised," she said. "It it really sad that they have mothballed it. It is a fantastic unit, I feel it is such a shame for families who have to visit Cornton Vale.
"The rurality of our area, we should have something close to our area."
Veteran councillor Margaret Davidson (Aird and Loch Ness) said it was tough persuading the SPS to reestablish a female unit after it was originally shut and a financial saving was made.
"What we do as a nation with female offenders is a disgrace, Cornton Vale is virtually medieval," she stated.
Nairn councillor Liz MacDonald said the unit did a "great job" and noted re-conviction rates were down to five percent.
"It has a good track record," she said.
Caroline Johnston, the prison’s governor, said the community integration unit (CIU) was not currently being utilised due to a lack of female prisoners meeting the minimum entrance criteria for transfer.
"However, there has been no closure of the service, which is still very much available if and when appropriate prisoners can be identified," she said.
"The CIU can house a maximum of six female prisoners, and as recently as this week, I have assessed the female prisoner population within the SPS to ascertain whether there would be suitable candidates for transfer.
"I reiterate my commitment to making best use of this resource and HMP Inverness is always willing to engage with our partners in the community to provide reassurance and guidance on the services available to female offenders at the establishment."
The minimum access criteria to the unit seeks prisoners who require low supervision, have received no serious misconduct reports and provided two negative drug tests in the last three months and live within the designated catchment area.
Councillors intend to debate the unit’s future at the next meeting of the criminal justice sub-committee and intend to invite SPS officials.