Prison Documents

Remand Prisoner from 9/8-4/10-2001 in The Ross House.

Prisoner No. 56658. Complaints made during my stay at Cornton Vale. Remanded in the Ross House:

15. August 2001 letter from Rubens solicitor to The Governor HM Prison, Cornton Vale, Cornton Road, Stirling FK 9 5 NY: "We write in order to express our concern as to the way our client is being treated by your establishment.

Can you please advise us as to the reason for our client being treated in such a way?" ... ...

23^rd August 2001 letter from Rubens solicitor to The Governor HM Institution Cornton Vale, Cornton Road, Stirling FK9 5 NY: ... ...

... ... Complaints made during my stay at Cornton Vale. Remanded in the Younger House

20^th October 2001. Letter to the Governor: ...In lack of a complaint form available I have to write this letter.

Copy of this letter will be handed to my lawyer and you will receive a more formal complaint, when I have talked with him. (Unfortunately I never got a chance to raise and discuss this matter with my lawyer). PS. I got a complaint form, when the officer saw me writing this letter. Too late for me to continue to wait for that lazy staff here ......

20^th October 2001 complaint form handed in to the officer in Unit 2 Younger House:

(I have changed some of the spelling/grammar mistakes from the original handwritten complaint form)

- No outdoor (outside the building in fresh air) exercise Saturday 20/10 (and many other days).
  The staffs have been reluctant for 4 days to find out why I have not got reply to a visit request for a visit 21/10. Two request forms have been handed to the staff. One last week and one the 19^th October. Separate letter are sent to the Governor about this.
  The Staffs (not all but too many) in general are treating people in here in a disrespectful manner and are running this place under human dignity.
  Lack of proper exercise in general despite requests (Gymnasium). Cleaning standard is damaging health. (Diarrhoea).

21^st October. Answer from officer (I leave the names out. For those interested I will refer to the original complaint forms):

  Due to short staffing levels unable to offer full regime, but could offer as much time out of cell as practically possible.
  I myself did find out about your visit 21/10, but cannot comment regarding to visit group. Would suggest CP or query direct to them.
  Cannot comment re this issue. Would suggest you be more specific i.e. who, when and put this in writing.
  Again staff levels dictates regime to offer. As gymnasium is a specialist post, limited to personnel who can manage area.
  Cleaning standards are up to each individual and it is your responsibility to ensure your accommodation area is kept to a clean and acceptable standard.

21^st October 2001. My reply to the officer:

- Outdoor exercise is our right. It’s none of our problem, what level of staff this place can provide. Outside the cells is not being outdoor. We need fresh air.
  Bring me a CP or Query form then please. Your internal communications problems should not be an issue for my concern at all.
  I will do this, and that is what I actually do right now. Please hand me a bundle of complaints forms to fill in.
  Same as (1). If it’s too difficult to get one-hour gymnasium a week it looks serious in here. (that was all I had asked for in my request form handed in during my stay on remand ). I have been at gymnasium 2 times of ½ hour since the 10^th August.
  Have you checked the cleaning materials recently? For example is the Mop dirty. (There was only one mop and one bucket. No soap and no cloths to clean with.) I clean my room (or try to do so) and area every day, but have no influence on the other areas and dirt has a nasty way of moving from one place to another (called gems).

23^rd October 2001. CP form - Complaint and query to Visitor House: Referring to complaint of 20^th October 2001 (point 2) regarding the matter of my visitor request I have still not got any of the 2 requests for a visit 21^st October 2001 (afternoon) returned with a reason why I could not have a visitor at that day and time. I was asked to do a query and a CP 1 form to the visitor group. This is herby also to be a query to the visitor group.

25^th October 2001. A note on a loose paper from Visitor Group: Re visit request for 21^st October the session was fully booked and therefore refused - Standard procedure.

26^th October 2001. My reply: Two request forms have been handed in. For four days I asked for an answer and officers phoned (they told me) the Visitor Group, but no one could tell anything. If standard procedure as claimed had been followed I should have a written answer back. The visit was requested more than a week before. I already booked up before I would suggest more room or time-sessions are available. I did not get my visit and I am entitled to 2 visits a fortnight. I cannot be right that because I am here for only three weeks I cannot get a visit. I would like to suggest that booking plan is available or published to prisoners, so we have a chance to know when there is overbooked. Otherwise it’s just a bad excuse I cannot accept. Since I did not get any answer back on none of the 2 requests I tried to forward, my visitor had to travel a long distance in vain. I had no chance to tell him before he was arrived in Stirling. I will request his cost refunded (caused by the failure of the SPS to bring me a proper answer to my request in time). It is your responsibility to make our entitled visits possible. (This Complaint ends here after end sentence - what a waste of energy!

21^st October 2001. CP form - Complaint.

No call for church 21^st October2001.The Officer claims we have been called, but none of us have heard it. Many of us go to church every Sunday, and are angry that the officers have taken any notice to the fact that none went to church (if they have called!!!). This form was signed by all thirteen prisoners in the unit 2 at 1^st floor in The Younger House.

21^st October 2001. Answer from officer:

A call was issued 9.30 hrs. During which time medication and breakfast were also being issued. It is your responsibility to listen out for block calls and get yourself to the appropriate units.

21^st October 2001. Answer no.1 from prisoners in Unit 2:

One person, who was downstairs heard that call. There has not been called at first floor. We are not deaf all of us and a call 9.30 is a little late when the ceremony in church starts at 9.30. Shall we both have medication, breakfast and go to church at the same time? That is rather difficult isn’t it?

An officer came back and tried to tell me that we had to make an complaint each of us and that he could not accept the form handed in. I said it was not my problem and did not accept to take the complaint form brought to me back. He went off with the form again.

21^st October 2001. Answer no. 2 from officer:

I was in the block on Sunday and I heard this call go out personally. I will also remind you that the Church service has been at the same time every week 9.30. This time has now been changed to 9.45. If you had any concerns you should have made these known to staff. Had you done this 9.30 you would not have missed the service. With regard to medication and breakfast these times are dictated by the new weekend regime.

21^st October 2001. Answer no. 2 from prisoners in Unit 2:

If you have heard the call in the block you must have been downstairs or near the stairs. NOONE IN UNIT 2 and some in Unit 4 (also at the first floor) (I have been told so) have heard that call. I personally was in my room ½ metre from the "speaker inclusive "XX" my roommate, who heard no call too. It was first heard when chapel was called. I went downstairs and thought it was for church and was told it was too late. On my way back I met others who also angrily expressed their frustrations over no call have been given in our unit 2. I have a right to breakfast, to medication and to exercise our religion. I have been told today that one prisoner, without mention the name, have been told she had to choose between breakfast and church. She stays in unit 1 or 3 downstairs.

I wish to attend the inquiry and I wish Minister Elaine from the Church to assist me.

(This complaint end here from my side, if not some of the other prisoners have followed it up, which I don’t know if have happened.)

23^rd October 2001. CP form - Complaint. I asked officer XX for the rules for exercise/fresh air and recreation. He returned and showed me politely the rules and explained that time for fresh air is to and from 2 buildings and exercise is the same as recreation. He came back later and told me he has been wrong. I then filled in the complaint form and made a new one concerning the lack of fresh air and exercise specific. See below.

23^rd October 2001. My reply to the officer. Thanks for the excuse. But reality is that I have missed exercise (too late sorry!!). But it’s not only happened this time. It is a problem every day in here. Asking for Gymnasium; and not getting anyone to bring me; and loads of other excuses. You really have to strengthen up the system, so prisoners every day get their right to exercise. I find myself in a bad physical condition after my stay here. I came in being top trained. If prisoners after end sentence shall be able to join society they must be brought out of prison in a physical condition that makes them able to join a full time work. (This complaint ends here but are followed up by the next complaint of same date)

23^rd October 2001. CP form - Complaint Today I have not got exercise and time out in fresh air except a short walk to and from work party and to and from visitor house (an agent visit).

In general I have not got exercise during my stay here (lack of staff in the Gymnasium) - see my complaint of 20^th October 2001 on this issue. All exercise I get is the time we are let out door so I can walk around. Not as good as gymnasium but better than nothing. (The yard is very small. About 20 metre long and 10 broad + a small lawn when not soaked of rainwater. Not much space for a walk). I would like to be brought a copy of the rules and a clear interpretation of these rules from an authority who are authorised to give such an interpretation.

Physical exercise is important for my health in general and for my back and circulation in specific.

(This complaint ends here after end sentence) - Hope someone will follow up on this issue that have been raised in reports and complaints from others through years without anything has been done to help the problem).

26^th October 2001. CP form Complaint. Denied outdoor exercise. Asked Mr. XX why (9.15 pm) why? He answered "I have three units now". What would he have done if someone had got a heart attack? Where were the other staffs?

It is careless and disrespectful staffs that treat people in here in such an inhuman manner. Yesterday they gave an excuse to my complaint that I had not got exercise and today they are again ignoring the fact that it is my and all others right to get out door exercise every day. That is disgraceful.

27^th October 2001. Answer from officer Younger House: In response to your comment about being treated inhumanely, I would refute this statement and say the staffs in Cornton Vale treats prisoners in a very caring and human manner. I cannot comment on any answers you have before, but as for yesterday’s complaint about not receiving exercise, due to the incident in Peebles House (a suicide attempt), I would say that this was an exceptional circumstance, which is covered by rule 75(3) of the Prisons Rules for the reason you never received outside exercise.

The reason Mr. XX was up the stair with three units was that medication was on at the time, and he was there to deal with an emergency that might happen. Medication was late (I am glad I am not at any medication not being able to get it on regular time) due to the fact the nurse was being interviewed by the police earlier on in the evening, which knocked out the medication timetable.

As for some of your comments about being disrespectful, ignoring and being disgraceful about not receiving your exercise I think you should look at these comments and look at how other prisoners and staff are feeling especially after the incidents of the past couple of days. (This excuse is really low level. I wonder what excuses I would have got if I had complained every day since I arrived).

27^th October 2001. My answer to officer XX: Let me make my statement clear to you: The staffs here treat people in a disrespectful and inhumane manner.

My complaint of lack of outdoor exercise that particular day is a follow up on several other complains. It’s more a rule not to get outdoor exercise than a rule, and personally I have physical problems because of this. It’s not right to claim I am not concerned for what have happened and use this as an excuse in this complaint. Where was the staff that should have calmed down the girls in here? They (the girls) were in a horrible low mood, some starting to shout at each other, others sitting crying in the sitting room in the evening to get their frustration out. The staff feelings about the day’s incident (I call it a suicide because that was what it was - a young women’s life wasted) was made clearly to us when the started shouting at everyone around here, but really they should be ashamed of themselves.

Again I understand the lack of staff - as mentioned in my other complains - but do you intend to do something about it???? PS. Today I was let out side for exercise, but would like to tell you about the conflict that created.

I do understand it’s the prisoners choice to have out door exercise and that it’s up to the staff to decide to lock them in or out, but claiming that you treat them in a caring and human manner I find very hard to believe, when you again and again upset them in different ways. Ulla Røder

Printer friendly version

Home | Top