PRT comment: HMIP thematic report on what helps women cope in prison
Commenting on the findings of a thematic review on what helps women cope in prison by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, published today, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said:
“The problems that this damning report has found are not new. The prison service has known for a long time that the provision for women in our prisons is woefully inadequate and inappropriate, with inexperienced staff and even the most basic of gender sensitive provision not being available. Representing a mere 4% of the total prison population, they are too frequently an afterthought for a system designed largely for men.
“This report only strengthens the case for just how desperately we need to reduce the numbers of women sent to prison. Women in acute mental health crisis cannot continue to be sent to prison as a place of safety, when as this report shows, they are in many cases making things worse.
“Instead, we must resource community provisions, including women’s centres, mental health and substance misuse services so that there are viable alternatives to custody which provide the care and support they need to turn their lives around.
“The new Women’s Justice Board is well placed to finally enact the ambitions of the Corston report for a different approach which recognises the complex and often unmet needs of women in contact with the criminal justice system. But decisive action must be taken now to deliver the urgent change that is needed.”
