WIREDGOV

Smaller regional units across the country to be progressed

New Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has announced that current plans for a female prison in Inverclyde will not go ahead.

Since coming into post, Mr Matheson has been scrutinising proposals for a purpose-built facility at Inverclyde.

During a visit to the highly-praised ‘218 centre’ in Glasgow, he stated that the current plans do not fit with his vision of how to address female offending and that Scotland needs to take a more radical and ambitious approach.

The Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service will now undertake a period of extensive engagement with key partners with a view to investing in smaller regional and community-based custodial facilities across the country. This will also involve looking at international models of best practice.

Mr Matheson has said the revised proposals must include options for smaller regional facilities for female offenders across Scotland and must be more in line with the recommendations of an expert group headed by Dame Elish Angiolini QC. The proposals will also consider whether there is scope for a smaller facility within the prison estate for the low number of serious female offenders who pose a risk to the community and are given long-term prison sentences.

Mr Matheson said:

“Since taking up post as Justice Secretary, I have been looking closely at proposals for a new prison for female offenders at Inverclyde. I’ve also listened carefully to the views expressed by a number of key interest groups.

“I’ve decided that the current plans for a prison for women in Inverclyde should not go ahead. It does not fit with my vision of how a modern and progressive country should be addressing female offending. We need to be bolder and take a more radical and ambitious approach in Scotland.

“When it comes to the justice system, we must be smarter with the choices we make and be more sophisticated in the way in which we deal with female offenders.

“As part of an expert group tasked with examining Scotland’s approach to addressing this issue, Dame Elish Angiolini QC made a number of important recommendations, recognising that female offenders have very different needs to their male counterparts and require very specific support.

“We know that women offenders are far less likely to be a danger to the public compared with men. We also know that the families and children of female offenders are more likely to go off the rails and offend themselves if mothers are jailed miles away from home. This turns into a vicious circle, affecting future generations, and is doing nothing to address reoffending.

“I believe we should be investing in smaller regional and community-based custodial facilities across the country, rather than a large new prison for women. This approach would be more closely aligned with the vision set out by Dame Elish. It also demonstrates the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling inequalities.

“We need to ensure that links to the family and community can be maintained, whilst targeted work is undertaken to address the specific issue which is fuelling the crime such as alcohol, drugs or mental health issues.

“The 218 centre in Glasgow which I visited today provides exactly the type of sophisticated approach that I would like to see as part of our plans for the way in which we look after women in custody.

“I share the vision of Dame Elish that we need to transform services for women so that we can help them break the cycle of reoffending and they can start making a positive contribution to society.

“Whilst it is for the Courts to decide who receives a custodial sentence, I believe that too many low level female offenders are sent to prison. I want to take a new approach in dealing with these types of offenders and provide them with the best possible support to help turn their lives around.”

Martin Cawley, Chief Executive, Turning Point Scotland said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson MSP, to Turning Point Scotland’s 218 service.

“Community based alternatives to custody, like 218, support women to make positive changes in their lives by providing a safe, structured environment to help them improve health and wellbeing and address many of the underlying issues that contribute towards their offending, such as substance misuse issues.

“Many of the women using the service have a range of complex needs such as addiction, poor mental or physical health and trauma issues.By addressing these underlying issues, it reduces the likelihood of them reoffending in future.

“Turning Point Scotland 218’s approach is backed up by an independent evaluation carried out by London South Bank University and the recommendations of the Commission on Women Offenders, chaired by Dame Elish Angiolini.”

Background

The Commission on Women Offenders was established in June 2011, headed up by Dame Elish Angiolini QC, to look at ways to improve the criminal justice system’s approach to dealing with female offenders. The Commission published its final report and recommendations in April 2012http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Review/commissiononwomenoffenders/finalreport-2012

Over £13 million is already being invested by the Scottish Government in 2012-15 to support the development of projects delivering new or enhanced services for dealing with women offenders across Scotland.

These projects include £3 million for:

• the creation of dedicated justice centres for women in Glasgow and Aberdeen, and the expansion of the Willow Service in Edinburgh;
• the expansion of the Dundee’s CJSW Women Offenders service, and support for the development of dedicated women offender teams within Criminal Justice Social Work in North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Highlands;
• outreach services engaging women offenders in the communities where they live (Fife, Angus, South Lanarkshire, Forth Valley)
• projects examining new approaches to service delivery to assist women offenders, and conducting research into improving services for women in rural areas.

An independent evaluation has been commissioned to review the progress that these projects have made, which will help inform future services for women.

Mentoring for women offenders

The Commission on Women Offenders recommended mentoring as an effective means to help women who offend to address their problems, and desist from future offending. The Reducing Reoffending Change Fund (RRCF) has distributed £10 million over 2012-15 to support offender mentoring projects assisting women offenders, and prolific young male offenders.

The RRCF has given £2.7 million over the last two years to fund the national “Shine” mentoring service for women offenders leaving prison, on remand, or struggling with community payback orders. Shine is being delivered by a partnership of third sector bodies across Scotland. It has also supported Tayside Council on Alcohol to continue its award-winning service for women, and a project by Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire which matches young people with trained, volunteer mentors.

The RRCF has been extended for a further two years, with up to £8 million to be used to support these projects (including a valuable contribution of £2 million from The Robertson Trust).

SPS provision for women offenders

HMP&YOI Cornton Vale embarked upon a significant refurbishment programme which began in February 2013 and was completed in September 2014. This includes the building of a new family-friendly Visitor Hub.

A strategy for the management of women in custody is being developed by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), and will set out how SPS will work with women to address their complex needs, and help prepare them for a productive life in the community.

SPS are delivering new induction training for staff working with women prisoners, and are rolling out a comprehensive new curriculum of training for all staff working with women.

Other areas of the Commission’s report which are being implemented include:

• A pilot project to be located at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in collaboration with local judiciary and justice partners, to trial the use of “problem solving” approaches in court processes, which aims to strengthen the effect that the court can have on an offender’s future behaviour.
• The range of non-custodial alternatives available will be extended with the nationwide roll-out of Fiscal Work Orders, scheduled for 1 April 2015.

Community Justice redesign

The Angiolini Commission had strong views and recommendations about the need for strategic leadership and co-ordination for community justice services across Scotland and Subject to Parliamentary business, the Scottish Government will to introduce the Community Justice Bill to the Scottish Parliament in spring 2015. This legislation will enable a new model for community justice services in Scotland.

Turning Point Scotland

Turning Point Scotland 218 has a 12 bed residential unit and a day service programme which provides a range of compulsory and optional group work sessions and one to one support.

Access is also available to a clinic which deals with mental and physical health issues, a dietician, chiropodist, dentist, doctors and nurses.