Dundee centre makes new approach to women's custody

A new community custodial unit is set to open in Dundee, providing a new way of supporting women offenders.

The Bella Centre is designed to support women in their reintegration back into their communities, encouraging them to take responsibility for their own reintegration through community contact, access to local services and the development of independence.

The centre’s completion is part of a wider £600m plan to improve Scotland’s custodial estate. The Bella Centre will have a sister centre in Glasgow, and work is progressing on a replacement for HMP YOI Cornton Vale, near Stirling.

Community Safety Minister Ash Regan, touring the newly completed centre, commented: “The Bella Centre marks a step change in the way Scotland supports women in custody, and is the first facility of its kind in the UK. It takes a gender-specific and trauma informed approach to better prepare women for reintegration back into their communities.

“Enhanced access to the community will enable women to retain family ties while allowing supportive partnerships in the locality to flourish. This visionary new centre has been specifically designed to better prepare women for release and to reduce reoffending.

“It relies heavily on collaboration with and between a wide range of partners, enabling a multi-disciplinary approach that will serve the rehabilitative needs of women, supporting them to reintegrate back into their communities.”