HMP & YOI Stirling

Scotland’s national facility for women

In shortStirling replaced Cornton Vale in 2023 as the national facility for remand and convicted young and adult women.

• Opened2023HMIPS key facts say July 2023; the IPMs say 19 June 2023
• Capacity100HMIPS and the SPS FOI response of 9 September 2025; the SPS establishment page gives up to 117
• Mother and Baby Unit2 placesSeparate unit

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) says HMP & YOI Stirling is Scotland’s national facility housing remand and convicted young and adult women. It replaced HMP YOI Cornton Vale.

The SPS says Stirling receives admissions from court and transfers women to other establishments where appropriate. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) describes using it as an assessment centre for new admissions, with many women staying only briefly before moving on.

• Eight housing units: Primrose, Bluebell, Iris, Myrtle, Begonia, Wintergreen, Thistle and Heather.

What inspectors found in February 2024

In shortFive of nine standards were satisfactory and four generally acceptable, with highly impressive accommodation and caring staff.

• Inspected19 to 23 Feb 2024Soon after opening
• Satisfactory / generally acceptable5 / 4
• Felt safe (pre-inspection survey)Over 80%

The Chief Inspector said the modern accommodation without bars on the windows, the campus design and the therapeutic environment were highly impressive and in keeping with the trauma-informed ethos of the national strategy for women in custody.

Inspectors saw outstanding examples of caring, compassionate staff, particularly in Wintergreen, which houses women with the most complex support needs, and in reception and the Assessment Centre.

• Identifying vulnerable women on admission and giving person-centred support, and speech and language specialists.
• Robust investigation of discriminatory behaviour, and an induction booklet in 12 languages.
• Active involvement in case management meetings.
• A new non-pain restraint technique that HMIPS hoped would be rolled out across Scotland.
• The IPMs later described staff as having a clear understanding of the admissions process and adapting their approach to individual needs.

Concerns about design and practice

In shortHMIPS said the prison was signed off as ready when evidence showed a range of issues; many design flaws had been fixed but some had not.

HMIPS said the establishment had been signed off as ready for occupation when evidence indicated a range of issues. It described an establishment with enormous potential heading in the right direction.

The major flaw identified was the location of the separation and reintegration unit and high dependency units within sight and sound of the neighbouring community, which HMIPS recommended repurposing.

• Design: staff line of sight compromised in residential units, removable blinds, windows that could be easily broken, shower walls that fractured into shards, no radio or in-cell technology, and insufficient allowance for older women and bariatric needs.
• Searching: routine body searching of women, which inspectors called disproportionate and contrary to the trauma-informed approach.
• Admissions: inspectors described as unacceptable the practice of placing new admissions who arrived after clinical staff left on 15-minute observations by operational staff until a health assessment the next day.
• The range of learning, employment and programmes also needed to develop.

Monitors’ view and population pressure

In shortMonitors called 2024-25 a challenging year but saw continuous improvement by committed management and front-line staff.

The IPMs’ 2024-25 report called it a challenging year, with a continued learning curve and a full inspection in the period.

• A fluctuating population and an increased remand population across the women’s estate.
• Vulnerable and complex needs, with some women spending lengthy periods on the Talk to Me suicide prevention strategy.
• Periods when some accommodation was out of use because of defects and damage; a Listener service was introduced during the year.
• Careful risk assessment about where each woman should be located; the complex needs of some would be better supported in secure psychiatric units.
• HMIPS reasoned that population pressures and the resulting churn prevented many women from benefiting fully from an excellent therapeutic environment.
• The SPS publishes a local resident update for neighbours on its Stirling page.

Working at Stirling

In shortStirling is in the SPS central-belt recruitment area on SPS terms, with a trauma-informed working model.

Stirling is within the SPS central-belt recruitment area. Terms are set by the SPS, not HMPPS.

• The inspection describes the working context: a trauma-informed model, a national strategy for women in custody and staff who invest time in relationships.
• A restraint technique designed not to induce pain, which the SPS reported rolling out nationally.
• HMIPS also described staff in Wintergreen working with women with the most complex needs.