An article examined the use in England and Wales of community-based one-stop shop centres for women, in an attempt to avoid custodial sentences. Drawing on interviews with judges and magistrates, it said that the provision of community support had been welcomed, but further changes might be required before one-stop shops were seen by sentencers as an alternative to custody.
Source: Carol Hedderman and Clare Gunby, 'Diverting women from custody: the importance of understanding sentencers' perspectives', Probation Journal, Volume 60 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
A new book examined the gendered incarceration of women and girls and the marginalization of their needs and rights within predominantly male penal systems, focusing on prisons in Northern Ireland.
Source: Linda Moore and Phil Scraton, The Incarceration of Women: Punishing bodies, breaking spirits, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Nov
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on female offenders.
Source: Government Response to the Justice Committee s Second Report of Session 2013-14: Female offenders, Cm 8279, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2013-Nov
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on female offenders.
Source: Government Response to the Justice Committee s Second Report of Session 2013-14: Female offenders, Cm 8279, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: MPs report | MOJ press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A study examined the additional services provided by probation trusts to female offenders in the community, over and above core services.
Source: Stocktake of Women s Services for Offenders in the Community, National Offender Management Service
Links: Report | MOJ press release
Date: 2013-Oct
The National Offender Management Service published its review of the treatment of women in the custodial estate.
Source: Cathy Robinson, Women s Custodial Estate Review, National Offender Management Service
Links: Report | MOJ press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs said that coalition government plans to introduce a payment-by-results system in probation services needed to be redesigned in respect of women offenders who were often classified as presenting a lower risk of reoffending so that they received the intensive tailored support they needed. It also raised concerns that efforts to implement the recommendations of the independent Corston review (2007) had stalled, and that the government was failing to deliver the joined-up approach needed to support women at risk.
Source: Women Offenders: After the Corston Report, Second Report (Session 2013-14), HC 92, House of Commons Justice Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | Howard League press release | RDA press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined learning and skills provision in women s prisons.
Source: Ama Dixon and Emily Jones, Learning for Women in Prison: Report on the role of learning and skills in responding positively to the issues and circumstances faced by women in prison, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
Links: Report | NIACE press release
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined the risk factors that might persuade girls to affiliate to a gang, including: severe childhood behavioural problems and mental ill-health; poor maternal mental health, exposure to violence in the home, and experience of trauma; low academic aspiration and disengagement from school; association with anti-social or gang-involved peers, and peer rejection or victimization; feeling unsafe or marginalized in their neighbourhood; and high income inequalities and social influences that devalued female roles.
Source: Lorraine Khan, Helena Brice, Anna Saunders and Andrew Plumtree, A Need to Belong: What leads girls to join gangs, Centre for Mental Health
Links: Report | CMH press release | YoungMinds press release
Date: 2013-May
The coalition government published a new strategy for dealing with women offenders. Courts would be encouraged to give more community sentences to women offenders backed by curfews, tagging, and unpaid work in an attempt to reduce the female prison population. A new advisory board would overhaul community orders for women and examine other issues such as locating female prisoners near to their families.
Source: Strategic Objectives for Female Offenders, Ministry of Justice
Links: Strategy | Hansard | MOJ press release | PRT press release | BBC report | Independent report
Date: 2013-Mar
A report examined services developed in third sector partnerships for women offenders in the community. The study was designed to capture best practice in services that were known to be at risk of funding cuts. In order to respond to local needs, and to integrate with mainstream commissioning cycles, services needed to develop strong operational and strategic links with existing services in other areas such as probation, housing, and mental health.
Source: Polly Radcliffe and Gillian Hunter (with Rosa Vass), The Development and Impact of Community Services for Women Offenders: An evaluation, Institute for Criminal Policy Research (King s College London)
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Mar
A study examined differences in the substance misuse and mental health of male and female prisoners in England and Wales. There were differences between male and female prisoners with respect to both, but also areas of similarity.
Source: Miriam Light, Eli Grant, and Kathryn Hopkins, Gender Differences in Substance Misuse and Mental Health amongst Prisoners: Results from the Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) longitudinal cohort study of prisoners, Ministry of Justice
Date: 2013-Mar