Engendering Justice - from Policy to Practice - The Fawcett Society

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Chapter Three: Continued.Women and Justice – Meeting the Needs of Female OffendersThere is also support for the use of community alternativesfor non-violent female offenders. In a study commissionedby the Commission in 2004, 68 percent of respondentsindicated that they would like to see greater use ofcommunity sentencing. 95 While, a more recent UK-wideICM survey of more than 1,000 respondents, revealedthat 86 percent of respondents supported communityalternatives to prison for women. 96The Role of ProbationProbation staff have a key role to play in the shift towardscommunity provision as an alternative to custody. Firstly,in terms of the information they provide to the courts inpre-sentence reports (as discussed above) and the activepromotion of alternatives to custody for non-violent femaleoffenders and for individuals on remand and secondly, bymaking sure that probation work specifically targets theneeds of female offenders.There is a need for improvement of the level of bail supportand supervision for those awaiting trial or sentencing.The Government in December 2008 committed to furtherdevelopment of bail support schemes to better meet theneeds of women. This development must happen urgentlyas current schemes which are in place are not meeting theneeds of female offenders. For example, women-only bailhostels are very important for women who have sufferedpast abuse. However, women-only accommodation isscarce and women face the risk of abuse or the formationof abusive relationships in mixed hostels.Guidance was issued to all Probation areas in October2008, 97 encouraging expanded use of female ApprovedPremises (‘APs’) for a wider range of female offenders, inparticular for those offenders ‘who present a medium riskof serious harm, who have suitable needs profiles, andwhose offences cross the custody threshold.’ However,this guidance is only expected to result in an additional15-25 women being held in Approved Premises. Further,the Commission believes the current female AP estate isunsatisfactory as it mirrors a central problem of the existingprison estate – being in inconvenient locations for manyparts of the country resulting in disconnection from homeand family. The Public Protection Unit will be conducting asurvey of the need for AP places, which will pay particularattention to the need for APs for female offenders and theCommission proposes the problems associated with thecurrent locations of APs are considered.The Commission recommends that in line with thedevelopment of one stop shop community provision forwomen, as discussed above, bail hostels are provided insmall, local centres. Bail hostels should also develop greaterprovision for support, particularly for mental health and drugdependency, as a way of improving service and increasingoccupancy rates. This can be achieved in partnership withthe development of community provision. The 218 centrein Glasgow (see box) has demonstrated the successfulcombination of support programmes and accommodationprovision. As a national network of women-only communitycentres is developed, consideration should be given tothe provision of accommodation within or close to thesecentres.Programmes also need to be developed in the communitywhich specifically target female offenders. Evidence fromprobation workers acknowledges that there are fewerresources for female offenders and that most probationwork was geared towards male offenders. As one seniorprobation officer noted, “Programmes and workingmethods have been trialed with men mostly.” 98 One seniorprobation officer in Wales told the Commission that:We do not have specific programmes for female offenders(such as women sex offenders, women domestic violenceperpetrator) In addition, female offenders rarely attendgeneral offending programmes due to the fact that theymay be the only female in the group or that there may beissues relating to domestic abuse. 99Women-only programmes should be provided, togetherwith programmes which directly address the needs offemale offenders, including the development of life skills.One probation officer commented how she:would like to see interventions delivered to women in aninformative and relaxed atmosphere to help them dealwith their everyday problems…bringing in partnershipagencies who can help them with a range of issues,such as help with jobs and training, housing advice,educational and recreational classes. 100The Commission recommends this type of approach,Page 42
which can be developed in conjunction with one-stop shopcommunity provision.Good Practice Example: 218 Centre: Combiningsupport programmes with accommodation needs218 was established in Glasgow in August 2003 with theaim of diverting women from prosecution and providingan alternative to custody. Based on a single site, theCentre provides a day service as well as supportedaccommodation. It offers programmes of care, support,and development designed to stop women’s offending bytackling substance misuse, trauma and poverty. Womenfrom Glasgow can access 218 from the courts, fromprison, or as part of a criminal justice order. They can bereferred or can refer themselves as long as they have beenin custody (including police custody) at some time in theprevious 12 months.Small Custodial Units – a transitional measureWhile the Commission accepts that the Government iscommitted to the diversion of women from custody tocommunity alternatives, given the current numbers ofwomen in custody and the limited resources, a nationalnetwork of community provision will not be in place forsome time. The development of small custodial unitsprovide a short term transitional measure addressing thefundamental issue that the existing prison estates aregeared towards the needs of male prisoners.In June 2008, the Government rejected therecommendation in the Corston Report to replace existingwomen’s prisons with suitable, geographically dispersed,small, multi-functional custodial centres within 10 years.The Government rejected this recommendation as ‘neitherfeasible nor desirable’. The units appear to have beenrejected on the basis of the need for economies of scale forprovision of services; the potential effects of a small unit onvulnerable women; the inappropriateness of small units formore serious offenders; difficulties with the managementof risk; and the use of resources which could be moreappropriately used in improving community provision. 101The Commission notes the new 77 place wing which isdue for completion at HMP Bronzefield this year whichthe Government has indicated will provide an opportunityto test a new approach to the physical environment andprison regimes. While this is an improvement on currentprovision, the fact that it is within the existing prisonestate undermines many of the aims of the provision ofsmall custodial units such as accessibility for visitors andresettlement needs.Given that the high level of women in prison is likely tocontinue for some time, with the current pace of communitydevelopment and present sentencing practices, theCommission recommends further research is undertakenby the Ministry of Justice on the feasibility of small custodialunits. The Commission acknowledges that there wouldbe some initial cost in their establishment. However, giventhat the current female prisons could be incorporated intothe male estate this would help to off-set the need forsubstantial investment in prison building for increased maleplaces. Further, the development of small custodial unitsdoes not need to be seen as an alternative to communityprovision (or as a redirection of resources away fromcommunity provision) but can be seen as a means ofmoving towards community provision. The two can beprogressed hand in hand.If the proposed units were increased in size, housing up to70 prisoners, in each county area, they could be developedin conjunction with specialist community provision forwomen. The location in each county area would enablethird sector providers to extend their support services towomen in custody and would allow the one-stop shopmodel (such as the Together Women Project and the newEden House which will shortly begin operation in Bristol)to access female offenders before they are released fromcustody. It would also allow prisoners on remand to havetheir needs appropriately assessed before sentencing.The development of such units would permit theenvironment to be designed for women rather than womenbeing confined to the current male-designed prison estate.In other countries, where the small custodial unit approachhas been adopted, initiatives have included a garden forrecreation, a kitchen for the joint preparation of food, androoms which are residential in style. Contact with childrencan also be managed within each unit. For example, thefacility in Western Australia provides permanent residentialaccommodation for children under the age of four toenable them to stay with their mothers. Training and healthneeds can also draw on local communities, which willPage 43
Page 1 and 2: Engendering Justice- from Policy to
Page 3 and 4: ContentsForeword 5Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6: ForewordFor the past five years, Fa
Page 7 and 8: Executive SummarySince 2003, Fawcet
Page 10 and 11: Executive Summary continuedon domes
Page 12 and 13: Executive Summary continuedFemale O
Page 14 and 15: Chapter One: Continued.Methodology
Page 16 and 17: The Five Years of the CommissionCom
Page 18 and 19: Chapter Two:Introduction - From Pol
Page 20 and 21: Chapter Three:Women and Justice - M
Page 23 and 24: [A woman] had admitted to an offenc
Page 25 and 26: Figure 3: Female Reoffending Rate b
Page 27 and 28: writing the Government had undertak
Page 29 and 30: equirement could be used to refer w
Page 31 and 32: given current funding allocations a
Page 33 and 34: I feel that women with severe menta
Page 35 and 36: Good Practice Example: Birth Compan
Page 37 and 38: Female offenders serving indetermin
Page 39 and 40: The Commission recommends that if p
Page 41: Moving TowardsCommunity ProvisionTh
Page 45 and 46: Chapter Four:Women Need Justice - W
Page 47 and 48: that VAW is a relevant issue for ev
Page 49 and 50: Women also need to have clear infor
Page 51 and 52: Victims reported telling their stor
Page 53 and 54: However, Rights of Women told the C
Page 55 and 56: in the decision-making process is l
Page 57 and 58: continued commitment to joint worki
Page 59 and 60: It is also important for the CPS to
Page 61 and 62: He pleaded innocent, so I prepared
Page 63 and 64: isk assessments are not uniform. In
Page 65 and 66: espect and sexual violence is a com
Page 67 and 68: different needs and experiences of
Page 69 and 70: managers. “Sometimes childcare is
Page 71 and 72: local area, with women who have rea
Page 73 and 74: her career, as these women may find
Page 75 and 76: The key issue in my view is that th
Page 77 and 78: Some magistrates noted that they fe
Page 79 and 80: for women to access development opp
Page 81 and 82: Organisations sharing their views w
Page 83 and 84: Institutional change needed:➤ A c
Page 85 and 86: International example of good pract
Page 87 and 88: ➤ The Criminal JusticeSystem will
Page 89 and 90: Key targets / indicators of success
Page 91 and 92: ➤ Women working inthe criminal ju
Page 93 and 94:
Key targets / indicators of success
Page 95 and 96:
➤ Policy and practiceof all crimi
Page 97 and 98:
➤The Judiciary and thesenior leve
Page 99 and 100:
Appendix ACOMMISSIONERS:Baroness Je
Page 101 and 102:
Annexure BSummary of Recommendation
Page 103 and 104:
not be means tested.• First night
Page 105 and 106:
in circumstances where the Prosecut
Page 107 and 108:
• Allocation to a particular cour
Page 109 and 110:
EndnotesMarch 200985Questionnaire R
Page 111:
About FawcettThe Fawcett Society is
show all

Engendering Justice - from Policy to Practice - The Fawcett Society

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?