Jim Murphy in vow to cut number of women in jail

Mr Murphy said too many women were being jailed, leading to disruption of family life. Picture: John Devlin

Mr Murphy said too many women were being jailed, leading to disruption of family life and the creation of a new generation of criminals.

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His pledge to keep women out of jail was accompanied by a vow for more “honesty” in sentencing as he announced a Labour review on early release to ensure that “time means time”.

Mr Murphy said criminals should serve the sentences given.

Speaking at a Scottish Parliament Journalists’ Association lunch, he said the government should abandon plans to replace Cornton Vale with a new “super-prison” in Inverclyde.

He said smaller community facilities that would give female offenders better access to their families should be built instead.

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Mr Murphy claimed the number of female prisoners stood at 430, twice the number before devolution. He said: “Cornton Vale is the most violent prison in Scotland and to simply plan to build a modern version of Cornton Vale is planning for failure. Instead, I would like us to have smaller prisons.”

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