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...
Clinks influence: State of the Sector 2023
Building on the past decade of our State of the Sector research, we have now published our 2023 report, providing a snapshot of the voluntary sector working in criminal justice in the 2022-23 financial year. It looks at the profile of the sector, its finances, its future, and the changes it wants to see from the government that wins the upcoming general election. From the research, three key themes emerged: the voluntary sector working in criminal justice continues to operate in a challenging environment; organisations prefer grant funding over contract arrangements, including for future government commissioning; organisations were cautiously confident about their financial sustainability over the next two years but uncertain about what service delivery might Investment in prevention and rehabilitation. Read State of the Sector 2023
Clinks influence: women and the criminal justice system
In May, Clinks Head of Influence and Communications, Sam Julius, will attend the Ministry of Justice’s Women in the Criminal Justice System Expert Group. There has not been a meeting of the group since the last one in December which we reported on in the January bulletin. At the forthcoming meeting Clinks will present a paper on early intervention, prevention, and diversion. The paper has been informed by consultation with women’s network members and will provide recommendations to improve outcomes for women by adopting sustainable models of early intervention. For more information contact Sam.julius@clinks.org
Clinks influence: Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Board (RR3)
The RR3, an interface between the voluntary sector and the Ministry of Justice/HM Prison and Probation Service, advises on policy and operational issues. It comprises senior leaders working in the voluntary sector in criminal justice with ‘seat’ specialisms and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) – created each year to develop policy recommendations in specific areas. The focus for 2023-24 has been: accommodation, employment, commissioning & staffing. Following a successful four years in the women’s specialist seat, Lisa Dando, Director of Brighton Women’s Centre, has stood down, and Nicola Drinkwater, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Women In Prison, has been appointed to that role. In the work plan for 24-25 there will be a focus on community provision which will incorporate the experiences of women. See the latest SIG reports here and Contact Bronte Jack on bronte.jack@clinks.org for further information.
Clinks networks updates: women’s network forum
The Clinks women’s network forum met on 19 March. 40 people took part in the meeting which had a thematic focus on early intervention, prevention and diversion. We heard from Claire Rushton, Early Interventions Lead, Women’s Operational Policy & Strategy Team, HM Prison and Probation Service Women’s Group, about progress under the first objective in the Female Offender Strategy delivery plan – “Fewer women entering the criminal justice system and reoffending”. Sam Julius presented on the background to the paper on early intervention, prevention and diversion and this was followed by group discussions addressing key questions on this topic. Feedback from these discussions was captured and will be fed-in to the paper for the expert group (see above). The next women’s network forum is on 25 June. To attend future Women’s network meetings please register as a member of the network here.
Criminal Justice System: Female Offender Strategy Dashboard
The Ministry of Justice published its Female Offender Strategy Dashboard, presenting key metrics outlined in the Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan via a web-based data visualisation tool. This resource allows custom analysis by factors such as locality, ethnicity, and age. It offers data on four priority areas of the strategy: reducing female entries into the criminal justice system, curtailing short custodial sentences for women, enhancing outcomes for women in custody, and bolstering public safety through improved post-release outcomes. The dashboard summarises headline metrics for recent comparisons, while detailed information reveals trends over five years. Performance shows mixed results across 18 areas, with improvements in some and deteriorations in others. View the dashboard here
Government policy: prison and probation delivery
In March, the Lord Chancellor made a statement outlining changes to prison and probation delivery considering the current prison capacity and demand situation -
- End of Custody Supervised Licence is an emergency lever that will see certain lower-risk women released on licence up to 18 days ahead of their Conditional Release Date. This has been running in prisons in the male estate since October, and is now operational in a small number of women’s establishments.
- Secondary legislation laid in Parliament by the government has mandated Fixed Term Recalls for most adult offenders whose sentences are less than 12 months. This means that anyone recalled whose sentence was less than 12 months and who meets certain eligibility criteria will be automatically re-released after 14 days.
- A Probation Reset will allow practitioners to prioritise early engagement at the point where offenders are most likely to breach their order or licence conditions, and ensure intervention and engagement is prioritised towards the first two-thirds of the sentence, as experience shows that this most effectively rehabilitates offenders.
Government policy: sentencing guidelines – pregnant women
The Sentencing Council has announced significant new guidance that judges and magistrates in England and Wales must consider before passing sentences on pregnant women and new mothers. A new mitigating factor in sentencing has been introduced – pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care – which replaces current guidance relating to this group of women who currently come under the broader heading of “sole or primary carer”. Campaigners have hailed the change as “a huge milestone” in their work to end the jailing of pregnant women and new mothers. Read the guidance and see comment from Clinks member Birth Companions here.
Girls in Wetherby YOI subject to treatment “tantamount to abuse”
A report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons published on 5 March found deeply concerning treatment of girls in Wetherby YOI, including girls subjected to use of pain inducing techniques and strip searches. The report said that one girl was restrained, and strip searched on two occasions by an all-male team of officers. Self-harm in Wetherby YOI is the highest in the country, and girls – who are a very small minority - account for “extremely high” levels of self-harm. Sonya Ruparel, CEO of Women in Prison commented: "Reading what girls in prison have been subjected to...by those responsible for their care simply beggars belief. This is no way to treat some of the most disadvantaged girls in our society. Girls who've been criminalised require gender specific, trauma informed support in their communities, not imprisonment and traumatisation." Together with Agenda Alliance, Women in Prison responded to the report with a letter featured in The Guardian. To join the mailing list, please email Lucy.Russell@wipuk.org
National Women’s Justice Coalition (NWJC) champion lived experience leadership
NWJC is pleased to announce the launch of its National Voice & Advisory Panel. Eight women with lived experience of the criminal justice system have been recruited from multiple women’s organisations as the first panel members. They share a passion for driving systemic change to improve outcomes for other women and girls in contact with the criminal justice system. Panel members are participating in bi-weekly meetings, workshops and focus groups, supported by the coalition’s Women’s Participation working group. Through these sessions, they offer expert insight to support the NWJC’s strategic influencing, campaigning, and messaging work. NWJC partner organisations, including Advance, Birth Companions, The Nelson Trust, Women’s Centre Cornwall and Working Chance, are offering supervision and advocacy to support each panel member to engage in this work. Find out more here
Clinks training: Why gender matters in the criminal justice system - 2-part workshop
Part One: Monday 13 May 2024, 10:00 – 12:00
Part Two: Tuesday 14 May 2024, 10:00 – 13:00
Do you have frontline staff or volunteers who want to increase their understanding of why gender matters in the criminal justice system? If so, join us for this entry-level training course [£95 for both days, Clinks voluntary sector members]. The training aims to develop understanding of women’s gendered experience of the criminal justice system. Part One focuses on understanding the policy landscape, including the Female Offender Strategy and the aim to achieve a ‘Whole System Approach’ (WSA) for women. Part Two guides participants through elements of WSA in practice. The course has been developed in response to a need for training for frontline staff in the women’s sector who are new to the criminal justice system and is exclusively for members of the Clinks women’s network. Find out more and book your place 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 [4 June, online, £75] 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 your place here
Clinks training: Working and volunteering in prisons
Working or volunteering in a prison can be quite daunting due to the many complexities associated with its unique environment and establishing the role of the voluntary sector within that can be challenging. Join us at this three-hour training session [19 June, online, £95] for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to raise awareness of the prison environment and provide information on key aspects such as staffing structures and departments, prison procedures and current challenges associated with working in prisons. Find out more and book your place here
Joint All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on women in contact with the justice system and domestic abuse
Women in prison and in contact with the justice system are often survivors of domestic violence and abuse. What is perhaps less well understood is the ways in which violent, coercive and controlling relationships can be the direct drivers of offending. Women in Prison are the Secretariat for the APPG women in contact with the justice system and will host a joint meeting [15 May, 17:30-19:00] with the APPG domestic violence and abuse, their Secretariat Women’s Aid and the Centre for Women’s Justice. The theme is: ‘Stop criminalising survivors of domestic abuse: Exploring how women experiencing domestic abuse are criminalised’. This meeting brings together experts in this work and two pivotal APPGs to call for change. For more information and to join the mailing list, please email Lucy.Russell@wipuk.org
Prison Reform Trust: new briefing puts spotlight on progression for long sentenced women
The Prison Reform Trust has published a new briefing; Invisible Women: Understanding women’s experiences of long-term imprisonment, the third briefing in the "Invisible Women" series.
This briefing has been produced in collaboration with women serving eight or more years in custody. It aims to amplify the voices of women serving very long sentences, in order to advocate for more holistic, gender-specific, trauma informed approaches to the long-term imprisonment of women.
The series is part of the Prison Reform Trust’s Building Futures programme, a five-year project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Read the new briefing here
Together a Chance: new research shows need for prison-based social workers to support mothers
Clinks member Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust) has been delivering a pilot project which employs dedicated, prison-based social workers in two women's prisons - HMPs Send and Eastwood Park. Pact is calling for all women's prisons to have similar schemes to support mothers in custody to stay in touch with their children, where it is in the child's best interests. New research from Cardiff University shows “clear and incontrovertible evidence” of the need for this approach and their report; Together a Chance, funded by the Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust, sets out how the project has benefitted children and mothers and played a significant role in managing self-harm and the risk of suicide. Find out more and download the research report here
Agenda Alliance shares their approach to co-production
The Women’s Advisory Network is a group of women with lived experience of multiple unmet needs, who meet with each other and members of the Agenda Alliance team every few months to support and guide Agenda Alliance’s mission to improve systems and campaign for change. To inspire inclusion for International Women’s Day 2024, Agenda Alliance created a co-produced video, scripted, and voiced by members of their Women’s Advisory Network. Alongside this, they publish the network’s collective charter for their work together, both of which can be found on their website here. Agenda Alliance has developed a document that summarises their approach to co-production, as well as key learnings so far. Download the summary here
Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) briefing on funding “system change”
WRC has published a new briefing about what “system change” means, from a feminist perspective. In the context of funding, the term can mean different things to different people, which can sometimes lead to very different outcomes and funding decisions. In a climate of increasing demand and complexity of needs, under-funding of women’s organisations and specialist services is a continuing concern. In this briefing, WRC argue that developing a system theory of change can guide us towards a bigger vision of social change. The paper poses questions and encourages readers to respond with ideas and thoughts about how to achieve system change for women. Read the paper here
Speaking up for Women - 2024 Election Toolkit
This year offers several opportunities for influence linked to elections: general, local, mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are all due to take place in the coming months. If you would like to lobby candidates and highlight issues important to your organisation through campaigning, participation in hustings or using social media, this set of resources, published by Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), provides invaluable support to get your message across. The toolkit will also help you to engage service users in influencing activity. Written and filmed resources can be accessed here.
Girls in Wetherby
See previous article about the treatment of girls in Wetherby YOI.
The Howard League for Penal Reform has long campaigned to bring about change for girls in the criminal justice system and has previously successfully challenged to the placement of a girl aged 16 in a prison for adult women. Find out more about their recent campaigning activity in the wake of the inspection report on Wetherby, including a petition which Clinks has signed calling for girls to be moved out of this prison. More information here
The Triangle Trust 1949 Fund
This opportunity, open in April 2024, is for organisations working with young women and girls. Only organisations led by and for women and girls are eligible to apply. The funds are targeted towards girls and young women who have been in the criminal justice system or who are at a high risk of entering it. Projects will need to demonstrate age, gender, trauma, and culturally responsive approaches to working with young women and girls. They are particularly interested in projects that provide peer support from women with lived experience and projects that have been co-designed with the voices of young women and girls. Grants between £10,000 and £80,000 over 12 months to two years are available. A maximum of £40,000 per year can be requested. Find out more and apply here
The Noel Buxton Trust: Penal grants programme
This grant programme is aimed at organisations who offer peer support and mentoring; social connections with friends, family or local community, for example, opportunities for serving prisoners to stay in touch with their children; skill-based activities through volunteering or training; and activities that promote rehabilitation and links to local communities. They can provide one-off grants of up to £3,000 to pay for specific projects and grants of up to £4,000 per year over two to three years to contribute to the sustainability of a programme or activity. They prefer to fund areas outside of London and South East England. Find out more and apply here
Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust
This trust supports charities benefiting women, girls, young people and families, who are economically deprived and/or socially excluded. They target funding on organisations/projects working in Merseyside (up to £5,000) but also offer grants for projects that operate nationwide (up to £3,000). They have a holiday fund providing small grants for holidays and outings. Find out more and apply here
Receiving the Clinks women’s network ebulletin
If you find this quarterly bulletin useful, please tell your colleagues about it. If they would like to receive the bulletin, please encourage them to login to their Clinks account and go to this manage subscriptions page where they can sign-up. They will need to be a member of the women’s network so if they need to join, they can Register here today.
If you have any comments about this ebulletin or feedback for improvement, please email Jackie Lowthian.
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