Plans are being drawn up to replace Scotland's "miserable" women's prison with a custom-made jail, the Justice Secretary has announced.
Former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini recommended the closure of Cornton Vale, near Stirling, in June, calling it "a miserable place" where some prisoners live in "antediluvian and appalling" conditions.
In a progress report to Holyrood's Justice Committee, Kenny MacAskill said plans were progressing to action Dame Elish's recommendation.
In his letter, before an appearance to discuss progress with the committee on November 6, Mr MacAskill outlined proposals to develop a custom-made national prison for women in Inverclyde and build a specialist unit for women at HMP Edinburgh.
"Following the commission's recommendations, I asked the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to begin identifying suitable alternatives to Cornton Vale," he wrote.
"I made clear that I had tasked the SPS with producing plans for developing a more suitable national facility for the small number of women who are either serving long-term sentences or who present a significant risk to the public.
"I agree with proposals submitted by the SPS to develop HMP Inverclyde as a 'custom-made' national prison for women offenders. The SPS will now work up detailed proposals on how to deliver these changes."
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