HARMAN: NEW DRIVE TO KEEP WOMEN OUT OF PRISON

30 June 2008

Ahead of a Commons Debate this week, Minister for Women Harriet Harman will today visit HMP Holloway, the UK’s largest all woman prison, as she takes part in Government’s new drive for fewer women to be sent to prison.

Ms Harman said she was concerned at the use of prisons for many non-violent women and wants a continued increase in the use of non-custodial sentences, such as community orders, combined with help for the problems which led them into crime.

The number of women in prison has stabilised in recent years compared to a rising male prison population, but ministers believe figures remain too high when non-custodial sentences can be more effective in terms of rehabilitation for many women.

Ms Harman backed the Government’s response to Baroness Corston’s report on women offenders as a major step forward. The report, published last year found that four out of five women in prison have a mental health problem, many are drug and alcohol dependent, around half report being victims of childhood abuse or domestic violence, a third sexually abused, and 20% have been in care.  Women recently released from custody are 36 times more likely to commit suicide than the general popultion. It found that the majority of women prisoners are non-violent, often have children, and may come from problem backgrounds.

The Government has made significant improvements to the way it treats women offenders since the Corston report, which made a number of recommendations to improve the way vulnerable women are treated in the criminal justice system. Last week Ministry of Justice Minister Maria Eagle published a progress report which showed that the Government:

• Aims to make better use of the conditional cautioning scheme for women as an alternative to court proceedings.
• Is looking at diverting women offenders from custody into community provision where that is appropriate.
• Will ensure that prisons provide better regimes, programmes and support that is sensitive and appropriate for women to help them with the problems which led them into offending.

Ms Harman said:
“Prison is not necessarily the best answer for many women offenders, the majority of whom are not a danger to society, and have children dependent on them. We will come up with community sentences which are tailored more specifically to women offenders so that they are both punished but also rehabilitated in a way which helps them to change their lives and which command the confidence of the community and the public.

“When women are sent to prison, it’s not only them who are punished, but their children too. And many of these women need help with alcohol or drug problems. That’s why the use of community sentences is often a better solution for non-violent women offenders.

“We have recognised that we cannot maintain the status quo and the Government is doing important work in this area. We are taking a different approach to the way we treat female prisoners."

Just over one fifth of women in prison are foreign nationals – 981 out of 4,420. That is one in five women prisoners, compared with one in eight men prisoners. The Government is party to Prison Transfer Agreements with 99 countries and continues to negotiate with other countries to increase the number of agreements.  Ms Harman said the Government was seeking to repatriate these prisoners to their home countries, in part so that they can serve their sentence nearer to their children and families.

Women prisoners make up about five per cent of the total prison population - 4,474 out of more than 83,000 Of these:

• Nine out of 10 women prisoners have been convicted of non-violent offences;
• Most are mothers (many lone mothers) and many are vulnerable;
• 55% of all self-harm incidents in prison are committed by women, even though they comprise only about 5% of the total prison population.
• Almost 60% of women remanded in custody do not go on to receive a custodial sentence

GRAPHS

Graph 1: population of men and women in custody, 1997-2007

This graph (graph 1) shows the size of the male and female populations in custody for the years 1997-2007. From 1997 to 2003 the number of women in custody (the square points) increased year on year. From 2004 onwards, however, the number of women in custody has stabilised and in the last two years (2006 and 2007) has decreased in size very slightly.

In contrast, the number of men in custody has generally increased year on year over time. While the years 1999 and 2000 which saw very slight decreases in the number of men in custody, but the overall trajectory over time is upwards.

Men comprise just under 95% of the population custody; the graph has a break in it (i.e. the numbers on the y axis jump from 4,000 to 60,000) so that both the male and female populations in custody can be fitted into one graph without the large blank space between the two lines which would result if the break was not there.

Graph 2: % year on year change in size of population in custody by gender, 1997-2007

This graph (graph 2) shows the percentage change in the numbers of men and women in custody year by year, i.e. it shows the percentage difference in size of the population in custody from one year to the next. It clearly shows that while the number of women in custody increased every year from 1997 to 2003, from 2004 the number of women in custody stabilised and in the last two years showed very slight decreases in size when compared to the previous year. In comparison, while the number of men in custody decreased in 1999 and 2000 compared to the previous year, since then it has increased in size every year.

Graph 3: Sentences by gender

The majority of offenders brought to justice are given non-custodial sentences – 97% of all women offenders and 92% of all men offenders. Women offenders receiving a non-custodial sentence are more likely to be fined compared to men offenders receiving a non-custodial sentence (three quarters compared to two thirds). In contrast, a greater proportion of men offenders receiving non custodial sentences receive community orders compared to women.

Key to non-custodial sentences: Suspended = Suspended Sentence Order; Community = Community Order; Discharges = Absolute & Conditional Discharges NB – can MoJ provide an explanation of discharges please; Otherwise = otherwise dealt with; Fines = fines

Media enquiries

Please contact Victoria Francis on 0207 276 0996 / 07920 213832
Victoria.francis@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk

Notes for editors

• Harriet Harman was at Holloway prison on Monday 30th June 2008. While there she met a number of staff and women offenders, and visited the First Night Centre and Mother and Baby Unit.
• A cross-government group, chaired Maria Eagle MP, has been established to look into how alternative community interventions for low risk female offenders can be more effective in responding to their specific needs and reducing re-offending.
• In 2007, 22% of the women’s prison population were female foreign prisoners and 13% of the men’s prison population were male foreign nationals. Overall, 14% of the prison population in 2007 were foreign nationals.
• The Women’s Offending Reduction Programme (WORP) launched in March 2004, provides community-based support to tackle women’s offending.
• The Together Women Programme (TWP) was allocated £9.15 million funding in March 2005 and provides an integrated approach for women offenders from prevention and diversion from custody, to resettlement on release. It is a four year project in Yorkshire & Humberside (Doncaster, Leeds and Bradford) and the North West (Liverpool and Salford), and provides a one-stop-shop where women from the local community can access a range of services and interventions relating to issues such as mental, physical and sexual health, drug misuse, physical and sexual abuse, housing advice, and debt and benefits advice.