A year ago, Prison Inspectors highlighted widespread inadequacies in the support available for women prisoners via their ‘Time to Care’ report. Twelve months on, however, there are ‘clear signs of improving practice’, such as:
- Improved staff-prisoner relationships – Specific training had been introduced for new officers and the ongoing rollout of ‘Behind the Behaviour’ training helped staff to better understand how life experiences shaped behaviour.
- Keeping families connected – Noticeable progress had been made in helping women maintain family ties, which for many was a top priority.
- Increased peer support – Peer-led initiatives were developing, with the aim of helping women cope and contribute meaningfully to prison life.
- Creating decent environments and building communities – Women could now wash their underwear in washing machines and sanitary and hygiene products were readily available on the wings of several prisons.
Despite this, the following concerns remain:
- High rates of self-harm incidents – more than eight times higher than in men’s prisons
- Inappropriate use of force
- The number of women sent to prison due to the lack of spaces in mental health hospitals – including delays in transfers once sectioned under the Mental Health Act
- Last minute cancellations of planned accommodation on release – including places in approved premises for vulnerable, high-risk women
- The supply of illicit drugs and the lack of enhanced gate security
- Limited time out of cell
- Lack of technology, such as in-cell laptops to help women to get basic things done.
Inspectors maintain that addressing these concerns will help to reduce women’s frustrations, improve their chances of coping in prison, and better prepare them for life upon release.
For more information, click here.