Engendering Justice - from Policy to Practice - The Fawcett Society

Moving TowardsCommunity ProvisionThe potential for change and the delivery of effectiveservices for women is considerable…However, thereality may be very different, especially since women area minority group within the criminal justice system. Thecapacity of agencies to attend to gender-specific needsis under question; the quality of inter-agency cooperationis variable; and the position of the voluntary sector in asupportive role may be stronger in some geographicalareas than others. 90The Government’s commitment to building the capacityof one stop shop services at women’s centres andother specialist provision for women in the communitythrough investment in third sector providers is crucial. TheCommission is encouraged by the announcement of £15.6million of new funding towards the provision of additionalservices in the community for women offenders includingspecialist community provision and the development ofbail support services. However, this amount falls well shortof the amount needed to develop a national network ofcommunity provision. The Rethinking Crime & Punishmentreport estimates a budget of £4.5 million per region – anational total of £45million/year (£261 million/6 years) tointroduce a coordinated multi agency approach acrossthe country to reduce imprisonment for women – withcommunity based centres in major cities and flexible accessto services in rural areas. 91Investment in community provision in the short term hasthe potential to save the public purse in the long term (forexample, the average cost of a place at the Asha Centre isno greater than £750 compared to £77,000 for the cost ofa prison place) as well as reducing reoffending rates and theharm caused to offenders’ families. A recent report by theNew Economics Foundation found that the social cost tochildren and to the state of imprisoning mothers for nonviolentoffences totalled £17 million over ten years. 92A study commissioned by the Fawcett Society in 2007into provision for women offenders in the communityrevealed a number of identified needs and best practicerecommendations. 93 Nine lessons were pin-pointed askey to the success of community provision for womenoffenders. In summary, such provision should:• be women-only to foster safety and a sense ofcommunity;• integrate offenders with non-offenders to normalisewomen’s experiences;• foster women’s empowerment to build self esteem andmotivate women to seek employment;• draw on knowledge of effective learning styles for women;• take a holistic and practical approach which focuseson addressing social problems which may be linkedto offending; including through links with mainstreamagencies (such as health, counselling and debt advice);• have the capacity and flexibility to allow women to returnfor continued support and development as required;• offer women personal support through the provision of amentor; and• provide women with practical help with childcare andtransport to enable them to attend on a consistent basis.The Together Women Programme has proven the successof such provision, offering a flexible means of support whichcan be delivered according to individual need and localresources. The two demonstration projects have showngreat potential for reducing reoffending rates and providingwomen with a pathway back into the community. Accordingto a report produced by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation inJuly 2008, early results from the TWP had demonstratedconsiderable success with an 8 percent reoffending ratecompared with a 55 percent national reoffending ratefor women. 94 Bristol Eden House Project is the latestdemonstration pilot. Due to launch in summer 2009, theproject will offer residential, day and out-reach services tolocal women offenders as well as working with statutoryand voluntary sector agencies to establish a coordinatedresponse. However, these community projects remain fewand far between and there is a need for a co-ordinated rolloutof projects to each county area.Page 41