This specialist quarterly ebulletin keeps you updated on relevant developments for organisations working to support women in contact with the criminal justice system. Please contact Jackie Lowthian at Jackie.lowthian@clinks.org if there is anything you would like to raise or to include items in the next ebulletin.
In this edition...
Make your voice heard - respond to our State of the sector survey 2022
The 2022 State of the sector survey is underway. You still have a few days left to tell us about the challenges your organisation has faced over the last year and help us influence key decision makers on your behalf and ensure that our support meets your needs. Your anonymised responses will contribute to a report highlighting the changes and challenges the voluntary sector, and its service users, are experiencing and how organisations are adapting. Please use data on clients, staff and volunteers from the 2021-2022 financial year. The survey takes around 20-25 minutes to complete. Click here to respond to the State of the sector survey 2022. Do not miss your chance to be heard, respond by Monday 25 July.
Ministerial meeting on women in the criminal justice system
Jess Mullen, Clinks Director of Influence and Communications, attended a meeting of the Women in the Criminal Justice System Expert Group with Victoria Atkins, (now former) Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, to discuss the Female Offender Strategy and implementation of the Concordat on women in or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system. Jess raised the importance of sustainable funding for women’s centres, and that the Ministry of Justice must ensure other government departments do not think that the funding available through probation contracts is currently sufficient to meet the full needs of women in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS). Jess also highlighted to the minister that to achieve an intersectional approach to racially minoritised women in the CJS, there is a need to develop a delivery plan for tackling race inequality alongside the delivery plan for the Female Offender Strategy. See the Female Offender Strategy here and the Concordat here
Prisons Strategy White Paper - government response
The response confirms that the eight commitments to improve prison safety set out in The Prisons Strategy White Paper will be delivered over the next three years. Disappointingly, the response reaffirms the Ministry of Justice’s commitment to prison expansion and does not include specific proposals to tackle racial disparity in prisons. Enhanced support and an innovations taskforce to tackle violence and self-harm are positive and the voluntary sector will be keen to support the development of these. Plans to legislate for ending Friday release, investment in drug treatment, the development of the new national regime model, and the presumption that people in prison will be offered employment in custody, will be welcomed by the voluntary sector. Read the response
The Ministry of Justice to end Friday releases for vulnerable people in prison
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has committed to reducing the number of individuals, especially vulnerable people, from leaving prison on a Friday. This has long been a priority of the voluntary sector as Friday releases lead to increased pressure on prison staff due to increased numbers of release, as well as reduced services in the community due to the weekend. Currently, there are limited details as to how the scheme will operate as the government needs to introduce legislation to make this legal. The MoJ press release does makes it clear that this will also apply to those being released on a bank holiday. Read more here
Queen’s Speech
On Tuesday 10 May the government set out its legislative agenda for the next year in the Queen’s Speech. Announcing 38 different Bills, plans include a Public Order Bill, introducing new offences related to certain types of protest, such as “locking on”, and a draft Mental Health Act Reform Bill which, amongst other things, aims to improve the support for people with convictions with acute mental health needs and provide faster transfers from prison to hospital. The government also recommitted to introducing a Bill of Rights to reform the Human Rights Act, with the aim of ending “the abuse of the human rights framework”. Read the briefing notes here
Victims Bill
The Ministry of Justice has published a draft Victims Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill contains measures that will improve support for victims to cope and recover from the impact of crime and enable improved associations with the criminal justice system. It also aims to strengthen transparency and oversight of criminal justice agencies at local and national levels, so that victims' experiences are taken into account; helping to support them and remain engaged with the criminal justice process. These measures will help victims to have confidence that there is the right support available and that if they report a crime, the criminal justice system will treat them in the way they should rightly expect. See the draft bill here
Safe homes initiative: women’s prison release protocol for London
The Safe Homes for Women Leaving Prison initiative, has worked with frontline organisations to develop a Women’s Prison Release Protocol, aiming to help ensure that no woman resettles to London without safe and suitable accommodation. It highlights the leading role of local authorities, and includes learning from the Strategy for Ending Women’s Homelessness in London. The protocol was discussed at a workshop in May with a keynote address from HM Prison and Probation Service Director of Women, Pia Sinha. It is hoped the protocol and an initial action plan will be agreed by early autumn. Find out more here
Women’s problem-solving court pilots yet to be announced
The Ministry of Justice has announced the launch of three problem solving courts. One of these, at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, will focus on women in contact with the criminal justice system with complex needs, including substance misuse. This new model will be informed by work in Greater Manchester, where a women’s problem solving court was first introduced in 2014. An independent evaluation found the reconviction rate for women in the scheme was just over half the national average (17% compared to 30%) and the number of women receiving short prison sentences has gone down. Read the government press release on problem solving courts here, and see this briefing on problem-solving approaches for women by the Centre for Justice Innovation.
Clinks Women’s network update
The Clinks Women’s networking forum took place on 14 June. We were joined by participants from women’s services around the country who heard policy presentations from Clinks and Agenda, along with an update from the Ministry of Justice about their work to develop a delivery plan to implement the Female Offender Strategy. Clinks member, the Lincolnshire Action Trust, shared work they are doing in partnership across the county to develop a strategy for women, supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner, and we received an update from the National Women’s Justice Coalition about their collaborative work to create systems change. To attend future Women’s network meetings please register as a member of the network here
Services in Recovery: creating system change for women in Northumbria
Agenda and Changing Lives are working in partnership on a project that explores the ways in which public services can be redesigned post-pandemic to better meet the needs of women with multiple disadvantage. They will work with women with lived experience and practitioners to examine the ways in which services can be optimised to improve the lives of women and girls. From their findings, they will produce national policy recommendations, setting out how public services can better respond to the needs of women and girls. Find out more about Services in Recovery here
Social work in women’s prisons: Together a Chance celebrates achievements
Together a Chance is a pilot programme of prison-based social workers whose role is to support mothers in custody to maintain links with their children. The project, funded by The Sylvia Adams Trust, currently operates at HMP Send and HMP Eastwood Park and aims to improve the health and wellbeing of women and their children. The programme is now celebrating a successful first year of operation. Key achievements range from specialist casework with women in prison to overcome barriers to their involvement in proceedings involving their children - to working with local authorities to develop best practice guidance for community social workers. Find out more about the project here
Clinks training: Navigating the criminal justice system workshop
Are you new to working or volunteering in the criminal justice system? Do you have volunteers or staff members who want to increase their understanding of the criminal justice system? Join us at this three-hour workshop [13 September, online, £50 members/£75 non-members] for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to increase awareness of, and provide the opportunity to, explore and discuss how the criminal justice system is organised, the complexities within it, and how it works. Find out more and book here
National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA)
This year the NCJAA, in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund, is delivering free writing development training for individuals and organisations delivering arts-based services and projects in the criminal justice system. The first two-part workshop: ‘Writing case studies’ [8 and 22 September, online, free], will help you to consider issues of structure; key elements of a case study (introduction, context, needs, description of intervention(s), outcomes and benefits); tone and style for different audiences; and self-editing and proofreading. Find out more and book here
Women’s Resource Centre training
The Women’s Resource Centre continues to offer a range of training, including ‘Project Management’ [7 September, online, £34 -£45], covering: defining projects, critical success factors, risk management and tracking and reporting; and, ‘Partnerships’ [14 September, online, £34- £45], providing guidance on how and why organisations may want to work in partnership, how to identify potential partnerships; what makes successful partnerships; and what are the challenges. Find out more and book here
#SheMatters Criminal Justice Conference
Imago Dei Prison Ministry currently works with women in three women’s prisons in the Southeast and upon release in the community. This conference [21 October, Tonbridge, £20] will celebrate the excellent work from practitioners, especially those working on the front-line in women’s prisons and other organisations in the criminal justice system. With a day of talks from keynote speakers, breakout sessions and panel discussions, Imago Dei invites you to their #SheMatters Conference. Be a part of this day celebrating the valuable work being done as we connect, network and learn from each other. Find out more and book here
The Howard League community awards 2022
Successful community projects that reduce crime and transform lives for the better will be honoured once again with The Howard League for Penal Reform’s prestigious Community Awards at a celebratory event on [19 October]. This year’s awards are open for nominations with a closing date of [26 July]. There is a category looking for and championing work with women in the community, diverting them away from the criminal justice system. You can see past winners, find examples of best practice in the sector and find out how to nominate here.
Favour – a new play explores the effects of imprisonment on South Asian Muslim women
This new production from Clean Break, a theatre company for women with criminal justice system experience, which sheds light on the effects of imprisonment on South Asian Muslim women through the story of a working-class Muslim family. Written by Ambreen Razia, Favour tackles duty, addiction and the battle of putting yourself back together, and follows a three-generation household of women whose lives are upended when one of them returns home from prison. Family secrets come tumbling into the light, and teenage Leila must decide what her future will look like. There are two post-show panel events: [12 July] with Sarah Burrows, Children Heard and Seen and Kate Fraser, Women in Prison discussing the effects of imprisonment on children and families; and [27 July] with Sofia Buncy, Muslim Women in Prison and Marchu Girma Hibiscus, exploring their work supporting racially and culturally minoritised women. Favour is on at Bush Theatre from [24 June – 4 August]. Find out more and book here
The case against remanding women in custody
Dr Rona Epstein, Honorary research fellow, Coventry Law School, has published an article in The Justice Gap online magazine where she makes the case for a reduction in the use of pre-trial detention for women. Almost two-thirds of women remanded to prison by magistrates are either found not guilty or are given a community order. Epstein suggests that the vast majority of women remanded to prison to await trial or sentence could safely be released on bail. She cites research carried out by Dr Liz Hales at a London magistrates court that found bail decisions for women were routinely made without requests for information about dependent children or pregnancies. Read the piece here
Food Matters for women in prison and in the community
Her Wellbeing is a monthly health and wellbeing newsletter written by Food Matters for women serving custodial sentences. It is available in all women’s prisons in England. It was launched in 2020 in response to Covid and has proved extremely popular. As well as food related topics, it covers other aspects of lifestyle, focussing on what women can do to support their physical and mental health within the confines of a prison environment. Topics have included yoga, mindfulness, sleep and the menopause. This month Food Matters are relaunching an e-newsletter version of Her Wellbeing aimed at women in the community. It will target women in women’s centres, drug treatment programmes, women’s refuges and other similar services. If you would like to receive a copy to forward to your client group, you can sign up here or contact Helen Sandwell, helen@foodmatters.org for more information.
Victims Bill – an opportunity to protect victims of domestic abuse from unjust criminalization
Following publication in March of its Double Standard report on the unjust criminalization of victims of violence against women and girls, Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) has called for the introduction of effective defences for those who offend as a direct consequence of their experience of domestic abuse, through the Victims Bill. The Victims’ Commissioner has highlighted inconsistencies between the government’s aims to strengthen protection for victims through the Bill, and its plans to limit the state’s positive obligations to victims through its Bill of Rights Bill. Read Dame Vera Baird’s oral evidence here and see the CWJ Double Standard report here
Home Office announces grant funding competition for domestic abuse services
Alongside implementation of the Domestic Abuse Act, the government published the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy in July 2021, which committed to investing in a "What Works" Fund for tackling VAWG. This fund aims to identify the highest quality, evidence-informed victim support and prevention projects and will build on previous investments. There is up to £10,315,000 of grant funding available to tackle violence against women and children. The intention is to fund 10-15 separate recipients (around £350,000 each) to provide services that increase protections for victims and strengthen measures to pursue perpetrators. Services will run over 2.5 years from 01/10/22 to 31/03/25. The deadline for applications is 05 Aug 2022 12:00. To apply you must be registered as a 'Supplier' on the Home Office e-Sourcing portal Please note: the Home Office Jaggaer e-Sourcing portal is independent of other e-Sourcing portals.
Funding to improve outcomes for people with language barriers
The Bell Foundation’s Criminal Justice Programme aims to build partnerships with organisations that support people in contact with the criminal justice system who speak English as a second or additional language (ESL). The 2022 Grant Partnerships opportunity is open with a deadline of 15/08/22. Grants will aim to build the capacity of the criminal justice sector to improve accessibility and support language diversity. Partnerships will do this by delivering projects or services that reduce language barriers to improve outcomes or wellbeing for anyone in contact with the criminal justice system in England and Wales who speaks ESL. Find out more and download the application pack here
If you have any comments about this ebulletin or feedback for improvement, please email Jackie Lowthian.
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