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Women in Prison’s Manifesto General Election 2015 www.womeninprison.org.uk/ge2015 WOMEN IN PRISON: Afterword 01 The UK has one of the highest rates of women’s imprisonment in Western Europe. Every year 12,000 women are sentenced to prison. The majority serve short sentences for non-violent offences. More often than not, women have been victims of crime prior to becoming perpetrators. Over 50% of women in prison report having suffered domestic violence; 1 in 3 has experienced sexual abuse. If the objective is to reduce re-offending, prison does not work. Short sentences wreck lives. A few weeks inside can mean that a woman loses her children, her home, and her job. Every year, about 20,000 children are deprived of their mothers. The Criminal Justice System is failing women and this failure costs society and the economy. Women in Prison is calling on General Election candidates and other supporters to pledge a commitment to a new approach for criminal justice, one with social justice at its heart. It is time for a fair, effective and cost-efficient Criminal Justice System, where the abuse, marginalisation and poverty at the root of so much of women’s offending are addressed and custodial sentencing is used as a last resort. Please pledge to commit to the following support for women: 1. Alternatives to custodial sentencing 2. Leadership The Government should introduce a statutory presumption against the use of short custodial sentences. Custody is the most serious sanction available to courts and the primary option to a court should be a community sentence. The Government must appoint a Ministerial lead for women in the Criminal Justice System with a cross-departmental remit, working to a clearly defined target for the reduction of women in prison. The position should work in conjunction with a newly formed Women’s Justice Board. Reoffending rates are high for women serving short sentences. This should not come as a surprise. A custodial sentence cuts women off from their children, families, support networks and community services. When released, the circumstances that led to prison in the first place will not have changed. Community sentencing works and offers value for money. It is not a soft option; it requires an intensive, tailor-made programme of daily activities that is monitored and provides a holistic rehabilitation plan. Implementing policies to change the lives of marginalised women requires strong leadership operating across the multitude of social and economic factors that lead women down the path to crime. The Youth Justice Board has significantly contributed to halving the prison population for young people. The same approach should be adopted to reduce the women’s prison population. 3. Women-specialist sector The UK boasts an unparalleled level of expertise and care for marginalised women, the quality of which is driven by the third sector. As we move into the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda, the provision of gender-specific, high quality support services and expertise must be sustained, supported with ring-fenced funding provided. Whether serving a community sentence or on licence, access to effective support services is vital for rehabilitation. Research and experience show that women respond better to gender-specific solutions that offer a holistic approach, and thus improve self-esteem, well-being and their ability to take control of their lives. 4. No woman should leave prison homeless Housing is essential to rehabilitation; no woman should leave prison homeless. There must be a statutory duty to place women released from prison as ‘priority need’ of housing. Nearly 40% of women are leaving prison homeless. Homelessness is an immediate barrier to getting one’s life back on track or laying the foundations for some stability. A policy ensuring that women have suitable accommodation upon leaving prison may seem costly, but is, in fact, a long-term saving for the UK taxpayer, since it drastically reduces the risk of reoffending and its ensuing cost. 5. Prison estate reform A significant amount of public money has already been invested in reforming the women’s prison estate. The new Government needs to build on this investment, ensure the recommendations are implemented and accelerate the pace of radical reform in line with a gender-specific approach. Women in Prison welcomes the Government’s commitment to deliver the recommendations made by the Women’s Custodial Estate Review. The review embeds a gender specific reform of the estate which is vital to reduce re-offending and enable the effective resettlement of women in their communities.. WOMEN IN PRISON’s General election 2015 Manifesto How to pledge Whether you are a Parliamentary candidate or not, please join our campaign and pledge your support for women affected by the Criminal Justice System. To pledge your support for this manifesto or for more information on Women in Prison’s campaigns please get in touch: Sign up online at: womeninprison.org.uk/ge2015 Or contact: [email protected] 0203 227 0451 @WIP_live Candidates pledging their support for this manifesto will be listed on our website and promoted through our communications to our supporters. Women in Prison We are a national organisation supporting women affected by the Criminal Justice System and since 1984, have campaigned for social justice rather than criminal justice. Women in Prison was born out of the anger that our founder Chris Tchaikovsky felt about what she saw when incarcerated in HMP Holloway. We believe that prison as it exists today is no place for women. We therefore support women to avoid, survive and exit the Criminal Justice System and campaign for the radical changes required to deliver justice for women. Promoted by Claire Cain on behalf of Women in Prison, Unit 10, the Ivories, 6 Northampton St, London, N1 2HY Blunt Printing 20 Brookvale Road, Southampton SO17 1QP