Women and the CJS
In 2006 GLDVP
established a workstream to address the needs of women in the
criminal justice system who are offenders or are at risk of
offending and who have experienced violence and abuse.
Women
offenders are some of the most disadvantaged members of our
society. Most commit non-violent crimes, and pose no danger to the
public. At least 50% of women in prison have experienced domestic
violence - compared to 25% of all women in their lifetime.
70% of women in prison suffer from two or more mental health
problems and 66% of women offenders report drug and alcohol abuse.
These women need supportive interventions that address their
underlying needs that may impact on their offending.
Prison can be
particularly harmful for women victims of domestic violence, as the
punitive environment can compound experiences of victimisation, and
exacerbate low self-esteem. Prison regimes are high-criticism, low
support settings, which replicate the abusive relationships many
women offenders have experienced outside of prison.
Experiences of violence and abuse can be a key factor in
women's pathways to crime; if this link is not addressed, prison
can do little to support women to stop offending.
As part of
this work, GLDVP hosted the Securing Safety
conference in November 2006 to raise awareness among criminal
justice agencies and the voluntary sector of the interlinking
nature of work on violence against women and women's offending. The
conference identified that for most women who offend, prison is an
expensive intervention that does not work: it is ineffective,
inappropriate, harmful and expensive. A briefing of conference
recommendations will be launched in the autumn.
GLDVP has
submitted various consultations responses to address the needs of
women offenders. We are working with HMPS in Holloway and
through the Second London Domestic Violence Strategy to develop
training, improve domestic violence services and interventions for
victims and perpetrators and develop a personnel policy.
We were a
partner of a consortium of criminal justice and prison reform
organisation campaigning for implementation of the Corston report
recommendations.
For more
information see Women in
Prison.
