MSPs are to vote this week on the uncertain future of a new women's 'super prison' in Greenock.
There is growing speculation that the £75m project, which would see the construction of a 300-capacity prison which would replace Cornton Vale as Scotland's only all-female jail, is set to be scrapped.
The Scottish Government has denied that a decision has yet been taken, with justice secretary Michael Matheson said to be considering the decision. Building work had been scheduled to begin in September ahead of an opening in 2017.
The project has been criticised, with experts saying that alternatives to custody should be utilised for female offenders wherever possible. The Commission on Women Offenders chaired by Dame Eilish Angiolini reported in 2012 that the female prison population in Scotland had doubled in 10 years.
Labour has called for the prison project to be scrapped, with the party planning to force a vote on the future of the jail.
The party's deputy leader, Kezia Dugdale, said: "This week Scottish Labour will present the Scottish Parliament with a once in a generation opportunity to reform our justice system so that it punishes crime, not vulnerable families.
"The evidence on this is clear. Locking up women doesn't work and has a devastating impact on the lives of the innocent children involved."
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