The governor of a jail criticised by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons has rejected claims that it is in "a state of crisis".

Teresa Medhurst, governor of Cornton Vale, made the comments following the publication of Brigadier Hugh Monro’s critical report into the state of Scotland’s only jail for women.

Speaking to STV News, Ms Medhurst said: "The Chief Inspector stipulated in his view that it is in a state of crisis. In my view it is not in a state of crisis. I would argue that the other points that he highlighted - that the staff here do an incredibly good job and that the women feel safe here, do not highlight a prison in crisis.

"The women wouldn’t feel safe, and all of the other good work that the chief inspector highlighted around family contact, around the caring and support that the woman get, would not have been included in his report if it was a prison in crisis.

"There are things that we can do here. What we have got here is an establishment which deals with a large proportion of women who are the most vulnerable in our society and who have complex needs. They have addiction problems, they have mental health problems, and they have problems with abuse in the past as well as relationship issues.

"The complexity, in terms of the services we provide and in conjunction with our community partners means that they are well cared for whilst they are here."

Cornton Vale was criticised for overcrowding and the consequent strain on resources, and out-of-date buildings. While recognising some of the concerns, the governor denies that the jail is in as much trouble as the inspectors concluded.

She added: "There are always improvements that we can make. The chief inspector spoke of the outdoor activities areas and we will have outdoor activities areas in place by the end of March.  There are things that the establishment can do and improve on, but it is not an establishment in crisis and I would refute what he said.

"The staff here do an incredibly difficult job with very complex individuals. The prisoners have consistently said in surveys that they feel safe in Cornton Vale. Because of the turnover and the layout of the buildings, yes there are things we can do to improve that."

Questioned whether the Scottish Government should shoulder some of the blame for the prison’s critical report, Ms Medhurst did state that more community-based alternatives to prison should be considered by judges and sheriffs across Scotland.

She concluded: "Successive governments and those in senior positions have always recognised that the rise in the female population has been disproportionate to that of the male population.

"There are a lot of the women who are in here do not require to be in prison. There are things that we do need to do and things we do need to change. For me, the main crux of the problem is the overcrowding and whether or not there are proportions of the population who actually need to be in prison or could be better dealt with in the community.

"I am very proud to be governor of Cornton Vale. I am very proud of the staff and the difficult and demanding job that they do. I think they do incredibly well and I am pleased that he (Hugh Monro) has recognised that in his report."

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