I NOTE with interest Rosemary Goring's article in which she raised the issue of women in prison ("Why are so many women held in prison?", The Herald, April 14),
I NOTE with interest Rosemary Goring's article in which she raised the issue of women in prison ("Why are so many women held in prison?", The Herald, April 14),
She refers to statistics which I find somewhat misleading, including the suggestion that two out of three inmates were on suicide watch.
The facts are that in relation to self-harm and suicide during 2013, when there were some 2500 admissions into Cornton Vale (some multiple admissions), 146 prisoners were placed on Act 2 Care (potential harming risk). There were 267 individual episodes, with some prisoners therefore having one or two episodes on and off Act 2 Care.
In 2013 the highest number of prisoners on Act 2 Care (in Ms Goring's terms, "suicide watch"), which was on only one day, was eight and the lowest daily average on Act 2 Care was between two and three prisoners.
Simply in the worst-case scenario, eight out of 423 (the figure quoted in the article, of which 70 are on remand and therefore innocent) would indicate some eight convicted prisoners could be at risk, being around some 2.5% of the convicted prison population and in the lower case reflecting some 0.75% and nowhere near the 66% reported in the article.
The facts are that the suggestion that "two out of three" inmates are on suicide watch is not only sensational but inaccurate.
James H Scott,
Chairman, Cornton Vale Young Offenders Visiting Committee, Association of Visiting Committees, Station Road, Rhu, Helensburgh.
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