Friday Night - Women's Prison (clip 2)
Report about women's prisons
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Description
TV news report looking at the condition of old prison facilities in Gateside prison in Greenock and then construction of a new prison at Corton Vale. Includes interviews with an inmate, the prison governor and prison planner. Shots include: builders working on the roof of the new Corton Vale prison; interview with John Oliver - Controller of Planning and Coordination in the Scottish Prison Dept; women "slopping out"; Reporter, George Reid, walks through a mother and baby cell; an interview with Lady Martha Bruce - the Governor of Gateside Prison; brief shots of inmates eating and an assessment meeting before a prisoner is released; 'Joan' speaks about her time in the Young Offenders institution.
Questions & Activities
Questions
- Why was the Cornton Vale site landscaped?
- What is considered innovative about the site?
- What is considered the biggest punishment?
- What is slopping out? Is this still carried out today?
- What jobs do the women do in jail to earn their weekly wage?
- How much is the weekly wage and what is it spent on?
- What are the main categories of crimes committed by women today?
- Does the young woman sound like she has learned her lesson?
Activities
English: Examine the use of language by the different people. Which phrases would people regard as unacceptable today? Which unusual adjectives and phrases are used? How would you describe the tone of the film?
Media Studies: Discuss the balance of the documentary and the documentary style. What are primary sources used to back up statements?
Citizenship: Discuss how our attitudes to crime and punishment have changed since 1972. How many of the arguments used here are familiar and how many seem antiquated or out of date. What ideas are conspicuous by their absence (e.g. human rights legislation).
Modern Studies: Now that Cornton Vale is closed, research whether the prison lived up to its billing as a dream jail.
Clip Details
| Record Id | 007-000-002-539-C |
|---|---|
| Resource Rights Holder | Courtesy of Scottish Television |
| Project Ref | T0422 |
| Date | 1972 |
| Genre | TV News |
| School Subject | English, Media Studies, Modern Studies |
| Subject Matter | Crime and Punishment, Citizenship |
| Who | Scottish Television (production company) |
| Where | Bridge of Allan, Greenock, Stirling |
| Event | Incarceration |
| Attributes | Colour, Sound |
| Clip Length | 8:04 |
| Film Length | 23:56 |