HMP Cornton Vale Criticised for Segregating Mentally Ill Women

London: Scotland’s female prison has been criticised for how it is managing women with complex mental health needs. Cornton Vale was found to be using segregation as a way to manage “high levels of distress” experienced by some inmates. The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland found some were experiencing up to 82 days in segregation. This meant up to 22 hours a day in cells described as “sparse and lacking in comfort”.

A report compiled by the commission noted that the women “seemed more disturbed” within the separation and reintegration unit (SRU). It added: “For women who were floridly unwell with acute psychosis or manic psychosis, the severity of their symptoms and level of disturbance significantly worsened in the SRU.” The commission went on to say it was “concerning to see how little mental health staff were sometimes able to engage with and support women who were acutely mentally ill or distressed”. During 2020, a total of 23 women prisoners were kept under Rule 41 – where a health professional requests they are either confined to their cell or put into segregation – for mental health reasons. A total of 25 of these episodes were recorded, with these lasting from one day to 82 days. The average stint in segregation was just over a month (32 days).

Segregation ‘Lead to Escalation’ – The commission said: “For those women with more complex mental health problems and vulnerabilities, for whom hospital care was often not an option, segregation appeared to be used as a way to manage their high levels of distress and behavioural disturbance in the custody environment, though it appeared to only lead to escalation.”

Read more: BBC News, https://is.gd/2aX9xU