A new report by the chief inspector of prisons has called for the Scottish Prison Service to appoint senior staff to safeguard conditions for female prisoners under the age of 21, after he uncovered deep divisions between the quality of conditions for convicted young men and women inmates at three jails.
Andrew McLellan criticised the lack of segregation of young women from adult inmates, the quality of food and recreational facilities and the "futile" life many had at overcrowded Cornton Vale prison, near Stirling, in his report published yesterday.
He carried out an examination of the conditions in which convicted teenage and under-21 offenders are being held at newly rebuilt Polmont, Friarton Hall, in Perth, and Darroch Hall, in Greenock.
Unlike at Friarton and Darroch, women at the newly refurbished Bruce House in Cornton Vale spent most of their time in half of the adult hall and partly in two or three other halls across the prison, which meant they shared nearly every part of life with adult prisoners.
He added that this made it much more difficult to develop a sense of community and shared interests than the young men, at the other institutions, who were segregated from adult prisoners.
Mr McLellan praised the positive atmosphere at Friarton and Darroch, where there were plentiful supplies of "exceptionally" good food and tables laid out for the men to eat their meals.
However, in Cornton Vale, the young women had to carry their meals along long, twisting corridors before they could eat, sometimes perched on the arm of a sofa in a cold recreation room, where adults could also join them.
His report said the food was not nearly as good quality, nor plentiful, and there was little to do. He summed up the Cornton Vale dining experience as a dismal' experience, repeated daily by the young women.
He said recreation facilities were practically non-existent' with no TV in one of the recreation rooms. PE sessions were attended by hardly any' women and when they did take place, adult inmates also took part. Meanwhile, the young men enjoyed satellite TV, pool, table tennis and electronic games and the inspection praised the facilities as being very good and tailored to their needs.
He found there was otherwise little for the women to do and members of the prison visiting committee had told him the normal day for women under 21 was completely futile'.
It contrasted with activities which ranged from machinery and carpentry workshops, gardening, catering, painting and even car valeting, decorating and hairdressing enjoyed by the men at their halls.
McLellan described Cornton Vale, which held 723 inmates under the age of 21 at the time of his visit - 100 more than its capacity - as in danger of leaving the young women at risk of becoming marginalised by the sheer numbers there. He wrote: "These young offenders are among the most difficult and the most needy in the country.
"Those who are entrusted with working with them should be given every resource possible."
He concluded that overcrowding as the reason that Polmont is unable to copy the successes of Friarton and Darroch halls and added: "There is no-one in the Scottish Prison Service whose sole responsibility is the management and the care of young women under 21.
"Until such people are appointed it is difficult to see that their treatment and conditions will improve."
