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England and Wales have over 3,600 female prisoners, and projections suggest that this number will rise to 4,200 by 2027. However, the Ministry of Justice has projected that after serving a short custodial sentence, women are more likely to reoffend than if they received a non-custodial sentence. This is something that Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has raised concerns about, calling for a different approach to women’s incarceration.
While visiting women’s prisons, Prisons Minister James Timpson has noticed the high number of self-harm incidents and the prevalence of mental health problems among female prisoners. Some studies suggest that 82% of women in prison reported having some form of mental health problem. Additionally, most female prisoners have experienced domestic violence.
The Corston Report (2007) and the Ministry of Justice’s Female Offender Strategy (2018) both recommend replacing some prison sentences with community sentencing or women’s residential centres that focus on trauma support and where children can stay with their mothers.
The new Labour government has proposed measures such as the creation of a Women’s Justice Board to reduce the number of women in prison. The Conservative government’s 2021 white paper suggested better support for pregnant women and mandatory staff training in women’s prisons to reduce self-harm.
People with experience of the criminal justice system suggest that most female offenders are non-violent and non-prolific and should be dealt with through community alternatives. Women’s centres are a better approach as they offer more focus on addressing the causes of offending, such as underlying issues like trauma. Additionally, the key challenge in reforming the system is funding and investment as there are a growing number of women’s centres, but not enough funding to support them.
Many women in prison are the victims of serious crimes themselves, and there needs to be a gender-specific approach to the criminal justice system. Moreover, the way the probation system and wider offender management system works needs to be more disciplined and rigorous, and better investment in drug rehabilitation, education, and employment programs are essential. Locking up non-violent and non-prolific women is unlikely to lead to meaningful change and engagement with rehabilitation. Rather, early preventative measures and upstream change need to happen before women end up in prison
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