Collaborating to change the shape of justice for women

In 2030 The Worshipful Company of Weavers, the oldest of the City of London’s livery companies will be 900 years old.  Those 900 years of tradition and patronage include supporting criminal justice voluntary organisations for the last 50 years. During this time the company has learned a lot from working with criminal justice charities supporting people in prison and in the community upon release.  

To mark its 900th anniversary the company wants to invest in continued innovation to solve a perennial problem in our justice system. Specifically - the issue of women being sentenced to prison, leading to higher reoffending rates and greater family breakdown, than more effective community interventions.  

The context 

It is well documented that women in the criminal justice system have different and more severe needs than men making up approximately 4% of the prison population and 12% of those serving a community sentence.  As a result, women are often neglected in a system designed for the majority. However, women’s needs are significant, and their custody has a disproportionate effect on family and future generations.  "The majority of women in prison (82%) report that they have mental health problems, compared with just over half of men (59%). Far more women than men are primary carers for children, with significant consequences for the children of those who go to prison, as well as the mothers.More than 17,500 children were estimated to be separated from their mother by imprisonment in 2020. 49% of women in prison suffer from both anxiety and depression, as compared to 23% of men. Some are engaged in street sex work and significant numbers have chronic substance misuse problems. Notwithstanding the seminal Corston Report, the Ministry of Justice’s 2018 Female Offender Strategy recognises the ineffectiveness of short sentences and seeks to reduce their use and the need to reduce the population of women in prison. Hence, the project envisioned by the Worshipful Company of Weavers is highly relevant and timely.  

The January 2025 Summit and competition launch 

In January 2025 the Weavers’ Company will host a summit to explore “where next” for justice for women. We will bring together thinkers and doers from across society focussed on how to end the imprisonment of women who would have better outcomes if their offending was addressed in other ways.  

Booking for this free event in central London will open in Autumn - Sign up to ensure you don’t miss updates at  www.clinks.org/subscribe 

We want the day to be a space and chance to think boldly and work together to start the work towards 2030.  We want people to connect with one another to form partnerships for change. We want people to ask questions and pose challenges.   

Shortly after the summit the Weavers Company, supported by Clinks, will launch a competition for a consortium to provide advice over the five years to 2030 to help shape an innovation that will hopefully change the shape of the justice experience of many women.  

This ambitious programme of work continues the Weaver’s commitment to criminal and social justice over the last fifty years. It is an ambition rooted in the knowledge that across society there are people committed to the ideal of radically reducing the use of prison for women and changing what justice looks and feels like for women. And our belief is that if we create something together we will have a far greater chance of success.  

William Makower, Chair, Weavers’ Company Charity 

Anne Fox, CEO, Clinks  

Image credit: Clinks Conference 2023 Ian Cuthbert