Conditions for women held at Glasgow Sheriff Court 'appalling', declare inspectors

Conditions in which female prisoners are held at Scotland’s busiest court are “degrading and inhumane”, prison inspectors have warned.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland branded conditions for women within Glasgow Sheriff Court, which manages the highest number of females from Cornton Vale, “appalling” after conducting a visit as part of their recent inspection of Scotland’s national women’s prison.

Women moving to and from the court custody unit to the court unit had to pass male toilets that were “unscreened, odorous and clearly visible from the hallway, as were any individuals using the facilities”, found inspectors.

Individuals about to appear in court were sometimes held in cells that had no ‘call buttons’ for seeking assistance, the inspectorate’s report added, prompting concerns in terms of vulnerable prisoners.

“Conditions for women held in GSC, when viewed from a human decency perspective, were a major concern, the facilities available were not fit for purpose and did not reflect positively on a 21st century criminal justice system,” states the inspectorate’s report, published today.

The small number of holding rooms in the female cell area meant five or six prisoners were held in each "which was far from ideal, especially given the number of women that they had to manage within this area with addiction or mental health issues".

“Additionally this area had only one toilet which was screened from the room but did not have a full door which provided only minimal privacy which was degrading and inhumane for all concerned,” adds the report.

It came as the chief prisons inspector criticised “wholly unacceptable” arrangements inside Cornton Vale that have seen some inmates wait over an hour to use the toilet. However, David Strang said the prison near Stirling is "no longer in a state of crisis" after damning reports in 2009 and 2012.

Scottish Liberal Democrats justice spokesperson Alison McInnes said: “It is frankly scandalous that women are being held six to a cell, forced to go to the toilet in view of others and as a matter of routine made to walk past unscreened male toilets.

“Glasgow Sherriff Court is one of the busiest courts in Europe, let alone Scotland. But that does mean standards should be allowed to slip and certainly not this far. The arrangements and conditions at the court must be urgently improved if it is to appropriately accommodate the requirements of the justice system.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) said: “The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is committed to providing custody units that are up to standard while ensuring value for money for the public purse. SCTS invests considerable sums on maintenance – more than £0.5 million on the last programme of repainting custody units alone – and has set protocols in place for regular and emergency deep cleaning of cell facilities.

"SCTS is now working in collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service to improve facilities within custody cells.”