Members' Business — S6M-08593 Katy Clark: Women Prisoners

That the Parliament notes reports that the women's prison, HMP Cornton Vale, is set to close and be replaced by HMP & YOI Stirling on the same site by the summer of 2023; further notes, with concern, reports that Scotland has had one of the largest female prison populations in northern Europe since 2010; understands that nearly 40% of women charged are not charged for a violent offence, with 63% of women in the sentenced population indexed under Group 1 (Violence) in the recorded crime statistics; notes the findings of the International Review of Custodial Models for Women: Key Messages for Scotland by the Scottish Government social research department in 2015, which concluded that “countries with lower rates of female prison populations tend to have different sentencing practices, including a greater use of alternatives to custody and open prisons than is currently available in Scotland”; further notes the view that Scotland’s remand rates for women are too high, including in the West Scotland region; notes that the Scottish Prison Service confirmed in January 2023 that approximately 36% of women prisoners are on remand, higher than the percentage for prisoners who are men; further notes the view that the vulnerable nature of many women prisoners, offending patterns among women and the reported high percentage of women prisoners who are mothers and high percentage of women who have suffered brain injuries as a result of repeated domestic abuse, demonstrate that fewer women should be remanded into custody, and notes calls for the Scottish Government to reverse the real terms cuts to the justice budget, to fund and develop strategies to reduce the number of women on remand, and to consult with women’s groups to develop sustainable alternatives to custody that reflect the specific circumstances of women.