Govt must stop jailing women, charities say

The government has come under unprecedented pressure to stop jailing non-violent women criminals from a broad coalition of charities.

It is the first time the charitable foundations, which include the Diana Memorial Fund, have lobbied the government in this way.

Pushed by politics.co.uk on whether the plans would make men less equal than women in the eyes of the criminal justice system, Teresa Elwes of the Bromley Trust responded: "We are looking at equality at the outcome level.

"Prisons were designed for men. Women's prisons use centres which were designed for men. For example, some women's prisons didn’t have women's toilets.

"They had to start thinking in a different way but they never did really," she continued.

"Women's needs have never been very influential in the design or concept of prisons. We're looking at a completely different set up for the needs of women, like small residential prisons where women can still see their children."

Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, agrees.

"Women in custody remain locked into an inhumane system with heavy-handed levels of punishment, poorly trained staff, inadequate healthcare and sparse opportunities for rehabilitation and family contact," she told politics.co.uk

"Meanwhile, the female prison population continues to rise, last week reaching a record high of 4,505, and 2007 saw the number of female prisoners committing suicide leaping by 167% on the previous year."

The groups are calling on justice secretary Jack Straw to carry through on the reforms recommended in the government sponsored review into vulnerable women in the criminal justice system by Baroness Corston.

They want to see incarceration greatly decreased as a form of sentencing and the introduction of alternatives, such as local supervision and support centres.

They say only five per cent of children remain in the family home when their mother is imprisoned, and that this often creates a new generation of criminal activity. For the woman, separation from their children greatly increases the likelihood of suicide and self-harm.

More women are sent to prison for theft and handling goods than any other offence with 63 per cent receiving less than six months. One in three women in prison has been sexually abused and 50 per cent suffered domestic violence

The charitable trusts lobbying the government include Antigone, the Bromley Trust, the Nationwide Foundation the Diana Memorial Fund and the Westminster Trust.

Sarah Campbell, of women's rights group The Fawcett Society, commented: "Prison for women simply isn't working.

"What is needed now is a real financial investment in community provision for women who offend. It is time for the Government must put its money where its mouth is by investing in community sentences for women instead of prisons."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "The government aims to reduce the reliance on prison for low risk female offenders by focusing on improving provision and interventions in the community.

"However where a custodial sentence is appropriate we are ensuring the needs of women are understood and prioritised."