Client Scottish Prison Service
Sector Custodial and Judicial
Location Central Scotland
Value £54m
The Women's National Facility (WNF), built on the site of the former HMP Cornton Vale near Stirling, is the creation of a new home for the only female prison in Scotland.
WNF’s new model is intended to produce better outcomes for women in custody and communities. The programme seeks to introduce a more progressive approach to managing women in custody, ensuring they are better prepared for life after release in order to 'break the cycle'.
The new estate comprises of a small national facility with 80 places. A national Assessment Centre is also being created in the grounds at the Cornton Vale site and will consist of up to 25 places for all women entering custody to allow for a period of initial assessment. Other works also include associated services infrastructure, car parking, landscaping and road access.
The creation of the Women’s National Facility (WNF) is a new concept for women in the judicial system with a stated outcome of “Unlocking potential and transforming lives”. An independent review into serious incidents and deaths in custody, undertaken by Dame Elish Angiolini has informed the design of the new buildings.
The facilities are being built provide a supportive environment w designed to promote independence and life skills and reduce the impact and associated risk of institutionalisation by providing training and education opportunities for the individuals. The facility will also have a mother and baby wing to allow new mothers tobe with their child during the first stages of their life, and not taken away from them immediately after giving birth.