Resetting the approach to women’s imprisonment
Too many women are being remanded to custody, including those who are severely mentally unwell who should be receiving treatment in the community, according to a new briefing published today (23 April) by the Prison Reform Trust.
As of 30 December 2024, over a quarter (26%) of all women in prison were being held there on remand. This is despite the fact that almost nine in 10 women on remand are assessed as posing only low to medium risk of serious harm to the public, and the majority of women committing low level, non-violent offences.
Women in the CJS
The high level of multiple and often unmet need experienced by many women in the justice system is well documented and highlighted by the PRT briefing. Many women in prison are victims of more serious crimes than those they are accused of committing. The past two decades have seen several key policy developments relating to women’s imprisonment which recognise the distinct and specific needs of women in the criminal justice system and call for a reduction in women’s imprisonment. However, the number of women in prison, especially on remand and on short sentences, has remained stubbornly high.
PRT argues that moving beyond this status quo requires bold and creative thinking alongside sustained development and implementation of pre-existing strategies. The briefing sets out key facts and figures relating to women in the criminal justice system and highlights progress to date in implementing an approach which recognises women’s distinct needs.
Women on remand
On 30 December 2024, 26% of women in prison were being held on remand. Almost 9 in 10 women on remand are considered a low to medium risk of serious harm to the public. In 2023, 3,622 women were remanded into custody from the Magistrates’ Courts, of which 32% went on to receive a custodial sentence. By contrast, 2,639 women were remanded into custody from the Crown Courts and 54% went on to receive a custodial sentence.
In 2023, 26% of self-harm incidents by women in prison were by those held on remand.
Women recalled to prison
In the year to September 2024 there were 2,603 recalls of women to custody, of which only 17% involved women facing further charge.16 Women serving a sentence of less than 12 months accounted for 61% of recalls.
Race and ethnicity
Women from minority ethnic groups are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice system. They often face a ‘double disadvantage’ of being discriminated against because of their gender and their race. 17% of the sentenced women’s prison population are recorded as Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed or ‘other ethnic group’. This increases to 22% of the remanded women’s prison population.
Pregnancy, mothers in prison and their children
It is widely recognised that all pregnancies in prison are high risk. Pregnant women in prison are seven times more likely to suffer stillbirth. 215 pregnant women were held in prison at some point during 2023–24 — 21 more than the previous year — with an average of 47 imprisoned at any one time.
Mental health and wellbeing
A recent thematic by HMIP found more than eight in 10 women (84%) had felt unable to cope at some point in prison. Women are more likely than men to self-harm whilst in prison, with young women aged 21–24 being the most likely group to self-harm. In 2023, women made up 27% of all self-harm incidents despite making up only 4% of the prison population.
Evidence suggests that some women in contact with the criminal justice system who are considered to be in ‘mental health crisis’ are being remanded to prison for their ‘own protection’ or ‘as a place of safety’.
Resettlement
A 2024 joint inspection found that in prison “there were too many barriers to good resettlement support…provision of services in prison is disjointed and too complicated, meaning women often fall through the gaps”. The average distance a woman is held from her home is 63 miles, but many are considerably further away. This means they can have more difficulty in retaining a ‘local connection’, which is often a precondition for local authority housing. Less than half of women (47%) left prison in the year to March 2024 with settled accommodation. More than one in 10 (13%) were homeless or rough sleeping.
Reasons for hope
The government has introduced a new mental health bill, currently making its way through parliament, which includes provisions to remove prisons as a place of safety, stop remanding people for their own protection, and set a time limit for transfers from prison to secure mental health hospitals. These are welcome provisions which if implemented should have a positive impact on the treatment of women with severe mental health needs.
The briefing highlights effective approaches to tackling women’s offending. These include the development of whole system approaches pioneered in areas such as Greater Manchester and London, investment in early intervention and diversion and the promotion of community alternatives such as Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTRs) and women’s centres.
The current government has established a women’s justice board with a specific remit to reduce the number of women in prison.
PRT Chief Executive Pia Sinha commented:
“With the establishment of a women’s justice board and the introduction of a mental health bill, the government has made some welcome progress in improving the treatment of women in the justice system. However, the figures highlighted in this briefing show there is still much to do. We know what works to tackle women’s offending. What is needed now is sustained long-term investment and the political will to implement it.”
Thanks to Andy Aitchison for kind permission to use the images in this post. You can see Andy’s work here
