Culture change in Scotland

An interview with Kate Donegan

In 1996, a series of prisoner suicides at HMP Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s prison, led to a highly critical report
into conditions from HM Inspector of Prisons and the resignation of the Governor.

Kate Donegan was brought in as the new Governor and after just one year the prison had received a glowing report from HM Inspector of Prisons.

Corrections News caught up with Kate about the ways she brought about this change in culture when she was in NZ to speak at the Corrective Services Administrators Council’s Women Offenders Conference in Auckland on 2 – 4 December.

Corrections News: What were your first thoughts when you arrived at Cornton Vale back in ‘96?

Kate Donegan: I knew the prison well as I’d been an Assistant Governor there from ’77 – ’84. Also, as Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons, I had been part of the team that had recently produced a highly critical report on the prison and so I was well aware of the prevailing conditions. The infrastructure was poor, staff morale was at very low ebb and there was a pervading fear of another suicide - so staff were spending much of their time on suicide watch.

CN: How did you begin to turn the situation around?

KD: Essentially, we went right back to basics by ensuring that all core custodial tasks were being undertaken to a high standard. It was important too to raise environmental standards and to address the raft of desperate personal and healthcare issues with which the women were struggling. These ranged from addictions, mental and sexual ill health, through to poor nourishment and family breakdown.

Staff had lost their professional self-confidence because of both the suicides and the constant attacks from a hostile media. There was little public or political understanding of the challenges of managing women in prison and my task was therefore to work on changing public attitudes as well as addressing the operational and structural deficits.

For the first six months I worked 18-hour days. It isn’t possible to lead and to govern from an office, so I spent a lot of time out in the prison supporting staff in a very practical way. I provided clear direction, set the standards and shared my vision of a positive and successful future.

I also set out very early on to bring on board a small group of operational managers and specialists who had the experience and capacity to help me to move the prison forward. I had the great good fortune to recruit Dr Kennedy Roberts, a doctor with addictions experience, whose enthusiasm, personality and drive had a hugely positive impact on staff and prisoners alike. His expertise enabled us to develop successful addictions interventions which mitigated the appalling effects of heroin misuse – a significant factor in the suicides.

CN: What were your next steps?

KD: I moved staff around internally to ensure the right blend of experience and knowledge within teams and also to ameliorate the negative impact of those staff who would not, or could not accept the need for change. The ‘boundary patroller’ were replaced with change agents. As you might imagine, there were some pretty blunt discussions with some managers and staff.

I also commissioned research to establish the nature and needs of the prisoners and by doing so, was able quickly to focus resources and interventions very effectively to where they were most needed.

The general presentation and physical condition of the women was very poor, but the results of the research were just shocking. The size and depth of the problems uncovered made the nature of my challenge crystal clear. The data was incredibly useful too in helping to change the perspective of the public, the media and the politicians. The engagement of academics in further research enabled evidence-based practice to be built in at foundation level.

CN: Did you have trouble getting resources?

KD: The suicides had created a political and public outcry so it wasn’t difficult to argue the case for resources to tackle the basics. I don’t know of any Corrections Service where funding is generous and so I had to make a robust and articulate case for the wherewithal to support the prison’s ongoing rehabilitation. Much of the reason for the paucity of investment in the prison up until the suicides raised its profile, was the fact that as there were no pressing operational or security problems, investment tended to be focused on the male estate.

I also presented evidence to Parliament on a couple of occasions as part of my strategy to raise the profile of the prison and help ‘significant others’ to understand and to support the work of the Corrections team at the prison. They needed to appreciate that the prison had become a psychiatric hospital, a residential addictions unit and a refuge all in one – not to mention a mother and baby unit too!

CN: You got a favourable report from HM Inspector of Prisons after a year, but how long did it take before you were really happy with the way things were running at Cornton Vale?

KD: They say it takes at least 15 years to effect real and lasting cultural change. I’d say it took a full three years until I felt that all of the basics were in place and the prison was set fair. Crucially, the rates of self harm plummeted and we had no further suicides for the next three years during which I governed the prison.