Locals are being given the chance to get a first glimpse inside Stirling’s new prison.
HMP & YOI Cornton Vale has been a part of the local community for years.
And now, as the Scottish Prison Service transitions to the opening of the new HMP & YOI Stirling, Stirling residents are being invited to see the new HMP & YOI Stirling for themselves, before its own residents move in.
An open day is being hosted for the community this Friday, May 26, with session times at 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
A HMPs spokesperson said: “This will be an opportunity to come along, see the establishment for yourself, and chat to staff.
“This is an important milestone for the Scottish Prison Service, the women we support, and our partners and communities.
“The new establishment will have small and distinct accommodation areas, which are designed to meet the needs of both young and adult women. Evidence has shown this is more effective in delivering better outcomes for women.
“We are determined that our new establishment will continue to build on the strong relationships we have long enjoyed in the area.”
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Cornton Vale women’s prison and young offenders institution closed earlier in the new year, ready for HMP & YOI Stirling, which was being built on the same site, to open this summer.
Dealing with women with mental health problems has traditionally been a major issue at the prison.
Drug and alcohol abuse is often seen in women being admitted to the jail, however, past studies have found that there is also a high incidence of women who have experienced physical, mental and sexual abuse at some point in their lives, or have underlying mental health conditions.
The transformation of Scotland’s women’s jail – once overcrowded with around 400 inmates – has been carried out as part of a wider revamp of the Scottish prison system.
A review researched elements from across the world including Scandinavia, New Zealand and Canada to create a new approach unique to Scotland.
The replacement facility between Cornton and Bridge of Allan will house 80 prisoners with “acute” needs in a more therapeutic environment. A 20-place assessment centre will also help decide where women coming into custody will be located within the prison estate – including community custody units in places like Edinburgh and Dundee.
The Stirling facility will be the third new, purpose-built facility for women in custody in Scotland, following the opening of the Bella and Lilias Community Custody Units (CCUs) this year.
The CCUs are the first of their kind anywhere in the UK, and follow an approach set out in the Strategy for Women in Custody.
The strategy is founded on the principle that services for women in custody should be designed especially for the needs of women, and also take account of their likely experience of adversity and trauma.
The SPS has said the new HMP & YOI Stirling will have this approach at its heart. It will also be smaller, more modern, and with better facilities than HMP & YOI Cornton Vale, which was built in 1975.
It is an important milestone in the SPS’s efforts to meet the challenges set by Lady Elish Angiolini, in her Commission on Women Offenders report, which also paved the way for the CCUs.
Teresa Medhurst, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, said earlier this year: “I am delighted that, with the support of the Scottish Government and the hard work of staff and partners, we have reached this exciting moment.
“This facility, along with our CCUs, will help give women in our care the best possible chance of a successful rehabilitation and safe, eventual, return to our communities.
“There is a lot of hard work ahead, but we are determined to deliver for those in our care, for the communities we serve, and for wider Scotland.”
