women imprisonment

Death, Addiction and Decay - Health matters in Scottish prisons

Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013 - Medical Leadership in Scotland

The Scottish Prison Service and NHS face a daily challenge ensuring those detained in prison receive all necessary forms of care. Given the extremely high levels of incarceration in Scotland, this is no small task. That is why the recent Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer provides illuminating, and also troubling insight into care and need in Scottish custody in 2013.

Nationally, health inequalities remain a ‘major problem in Scotland’, operating in criminal justice spheres ‘offers an opportunity for people in the community who find services hardest to reach, to benefit from support even of the briefest nature’. The report makes clear how problematic it can be to craft the policy and practice of healthcare in criminal justice and not consider those inseparable broader social inequities; stating that it ‘remains the case that key determinants of health are poverty, housing and access to welfare or employment opportunities, along with social aspects of rehabilitation. Without addressing them, risk factor and health improvement intervention will have limited impact and this applies equally to police custody and prisons’.

The disproportionately high medical and healthcare need among the Scottish prison population as compared to the general population was illustrated by a number of key statistics:

  • 54% of 200,000 people who had been in police custody in Scotland had problems with alcohol and drugs.
  • 68% of the same group had difficulties with substance misuse, and problems with both medical and mental health.
  • 73% of prisoners are believed to have an alcohol problem.
  • 36% are believed to be alcohol dependent.
  • At the time of the offence, 45% of prisoner reported being under the influence of alcohol, and;
  • 39% reported that at the time of their offence they were under the influence of drugs.
  •  Upon reception to prison, 77% of prisoners tested as positive for illegal drugs (33% for opiates)
  • It is believed that 19% of the prison population are Hepatitis C positive.
  • About 10% of men in the general population in Scotland suffer from dental decay, compared to 29% of men in Scottish prisons.
  • For women in prison in Scotland, 42% suffer from dental decay, compared to 3% of women in the general population.
  • Both men and women who have been in prison have higher risk of death than the general Scottish populace. The risk of mortality is particularly high in the immediate post release period ‘as prisoners return to the poor circumstances, poverty of opportunity and hope that they left’.

Read the report, particularly the Health & Justice section here

People in prison: a snapshot

Almost two-thirds of those taking part in the 2013 prisoner survey reported having children (63%). Of these, two in five (42%) had one child and just under a third had two children (31%). A quarter (24%) of prisoners thought that they would not be caring for their children when they were released, while 17% of prisoners did not know.

Nearly half of prisoners surveyed reported being drunk at the time of their offence (45%). One in five reported that drinking affected their ability to hold down a job (21%) and over one-third of prisoners admitted that their drinking affected their relationship with their family (35%)

A higher proportion of women reported problems with alcohol, with half (50%) reporting being drunk at the time of their offence—an 8% increase on 2011. Over half (53%) said that they would drink 10 or more drinks on a typical day when drinking, with 29% saying they drank six or more drinks on a daily, or almost daily, basis.

Two-thirds (68%) of young offenders reported being drunk at the time of their offence. 39% of prisoners reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of their offence, with 16% reporting that they committed their offence to get money for drugs.

Two-thirds (62%) reported using drugs in the 12 months prior to coming into prison. Cannabis (78%), benzodiazepams (58%) and cocaine (51%) were the most commonly used drugs.

Eight in ten (79%) young people in prison reported that they had used drugs in the 12 months prior to coming into prison and half (49%) were under the influence of drugs at the time of the offence.

A quarter of prisoners reported that they had taken another prisoner’s prescribed medication at some point during their time in prison.

One-quarter reported having a disability (25%), an increase of six per cent from 2011 (19%), with 68% of these stating that staff in their prison know they have a disability. Just over one third (36%) of older prisoners stated that they had a disability.

A quarter (25%) of young people in prison surveyed had no qualifications. Over half (56%) said that they were ‘often’ excluded from school and four in ten (37%) said that they had ‘often’ attended a Children’s Panel.

Just over a third of respondents to a Prison Reform Trust survey of prisons in Scotland in 2007 said that their prison had a dedicated learning disability nurse.

There were 1,822 recorded ‘minor & no injury’ prisoner on prisoner assaults in Scottish prisons in 2013–14, a 5% rise on the previous year. The number of serious assaults remained stable at 71.

85% of prisoners reported positively on the ability to arrange visits and 84% on access to family and friends. However, 57% reported that their visitors experienced problems when visiting them in prison, most frequently the distance of the prison from their home (61%) and the cost involved in getting to the prison (57%).

A greater number of older prisoners (18%) had no regular contact with their family and friends than younger prisoners (9%).

One-quarter of prisoners indicated that during their up-bringing they had been in care (27%).

Over half of women reporting had witnessed violence between their parents/carers when they were children (56%) compared to four in ten male prisoners (41%).

59% prisoners surveyed reported they were a lodger before going to prison, and 34% were a council tenant. Half of prisoners who specified said that they lost their tenancy/accommodation when they went to prison (49%).

The women’s prison population in Scotland increased 66% in the ten years since 2002-03.There has been a slight decrease with an average daily prison population of 431 women in 2013–14, 26 fewer than the year before.

The proportion of prisoners on remand is higher for women than men (23% compared to 19%). Only around 30% of women on remand go on to receive a custodial sentence.

In 2011–12, 1,979 women were received into custody on remand, 5% higher than the previous year. The number of women remanded to custody almost doubled between 1999–2000 and 2008–09 (from 1,176 to 2,338).

There is evidence that women are being imprisoned for longer periods of time. Research by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) found that the average length of custodial sentences imposed on women increased from 228 days in 1999–2000 to 271 in 2008–09. This difference is largely explained by the significant increase in the number of women sentenced to between six months and two years.

The report found no evidence of increasing participation in crime by women. Data from five police forces showed that the number of recorded crimes involving females has remained relatively stable between 1999–2000 and 2009–10, with some fluctuations in the Strathclyde and Fife area.

SCCJR analyses suggest that the growth in the women’s prison population can more likely be attributed to the increasing use of custodial sentences by courts than changes in the pattern of female offending.

A higher proportion of women commit ‘crimes of dishonesty’ than men. In 2012–13, 11% of proven offences by women were for shoplifting, compared with 6% of men.

According to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, two-thirds of the women at Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only all-women prison, were serving sentences of six months or less. Commenting on this, MacAskill said they had “typically been jailed for low level offences ... four out of five women going to Cornton Vale have a mental health problem and seven out of 10 have a disclosed history of abuse or trauma ... so while the staff at Cornton Vale are doing a fantastic job, a short-term prison environment is not always conducive to identifying root problems and dealing with them effectively.”

A report by the Commission on Women Offenders, chaired by former Lord Advocate, Dame Elish Angiolini, stated that “Cornton Vale is not fit for purpose.” It recommended that it is replaced with a smaller specialist prison for those women offenders serving a statutory defined long-term sentence and those who present a significant risk to the public.

In March 2014, a 50-place regional unit opened at HMP Grampian for women from the north east of Scotland.A Regional Unit in Edinburgh is planned for women from the east and south-east. A 350 place women’s prison is planned near Greenock to replace HMP Cornton Vale at an estimated cost of £60m.

Specialist services designed to meet the complex needs of women offenders can help them to tackle the causes of their offending. Women who used the services at the 218 Service in Glasgow identified significant decreases in drug and/or alcohol use (83%), improvements in their health and wellbeing (67%), access to stable accommodation and referrals to longer-term support services.

Via The Bromley Briefings

 

Extended Family Visits

It has emerged that the women’s prison Drake Hall in Staffordshire is being refurbished and will include a facility for extended family visits. That is to say that there will be a facility for prisoners’ families to stay overnight. Obviously having this kind of facility enables much more meaningful contact between prisoners and their family members, particularly their young children. These sorts of facilities are also found in other jurisdictions, such as Norway and Canada and we would certainly regard this provision as best practice for a new women’s prison.

At last week's Cross Party Group on Families Affected By Imprisonment Chief Executive of SPS, Colin McConnell articulated that such a facility was “still a possibility”. We would hope that there is still the chance that it will be built into the design and available for prisoners’ families from the first day of operation. 

This is of particualr necessity in Scotland, a large country in which families have large distances to travel to reach prisons for visits. At the same parilamentary meeting members voiced concerns about the difficulties facing prisoners’ families based in rural areas who wished to visit prisoners held in establishments in the central belt.

We know that those family bonds and relationships are a central part of the desistance process. As SPS and Scottish Government build a prison near the central belt they must make a commitment to develop facilities which support not just prisoners, but their families as well, making visits as easy as possible for everyone involved. 

Read more here:

PQ re pregnant women in HMP Inverclyde

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

10 April 2014           

Index Heading: Learning and Justice

 Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government  what provision HMP Inverclyde will make for prisoners (a) who are pregnant and (b) with babies.

(S4W-20345)

Mr Kenny MacAskill MSP:

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

HMP & YOI Inverclyde will provide a purpose built mother and baby unit which may also be used, as appropriate, and depending on individual need, for pregnant women who may also be accommodated in mainstream accommodation.

All pregnant women and those with babies will have their physical needs met by the NHS healthcare team, and their general management will be via a multidisciplinary team approach with named lead professionals. Each woman will also have a Personal Officer to co-ordinate her general care and support.

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

PQ on healthcare services for HMP Inverclyde

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

10 April 2014

Index Heading: Learning and Justice

 Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government  what discussions have taken place regarding healthcare services at HMP Inverclyde.

 

(S4W-20344)

Mr Kenny MacAskill MSP:

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond.  His response is as follows:

Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board are closely involved in the Design Phase of HMP & YOI Inverclyde development project. This partnership working will continue throughout the development lifecycle.

Primary care services will be provided at the new establishment to a standard equivalent to that available within the community.

 

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

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