Centre for Mental Health

Women in Prison

On 19 November 2010, the prison population in England and Wales was 85,393, of that, 81,126 were male and 4,267 were female. In the last decade the number of women in prison has more than doubled. In 1995 the average female prison population was 1,998 and In 2009, 11,044 women were received into prison (see Bromley Briefing).

There is a growing evidence base that prisons are not effective at reducing offending and that the costs (financial and social) of containing people in prison without access to appropriate health care are too high.

This has been particularly highlighted in relation to women prisoners and has prompted the Home Office to develop a strategy to reduce women's offending.

The Corston Review

Baroness Corston's review of women in the criminal justice system with particular vulnerabilities was published in March 2007. In it, she called for a greater focus on women in the criminal justice system and highlighted the need to take a radical new approach to address the complex and multiple needs of women who offend and those at risk of offending.

The review was commissioned by the Home Office as a result of calls for a public inquiry following the tragic series of six deaths at Styal prison between August 2002 and August 2003.

The Government's response set out the commitments that have been made across departments to take forward her recommendations.

Our view

Our analysis calls for more women to be given community sentences instead of being imprisoned. It also supports the Report's recommendation that women's prisons should be replaced by smaller, local units.

It shows that short spells in prison, even on remand, damage women's mental health and family life yet do little or nothing to stop them offending again. The damage is made much worse when women are imprisoned long distances from home and receive inadequate health care during and after their time in prison.

Our response also welcomes the Government's commitment to the Corston Report's recommendations for better mental health care for women in police stations, courts and prisons. Improved assessment, care and support are vital to ensure women with mental health and related problems are kept out of prison where possible and given the treatment they need.

Download our response to the Corston Report and the Government (92 KB)

WI campaign - Care Not Custody

In June 2008, the WI passed a resolution calling for an end to the inappropriate detention of people with mental health problems.

Too many people are getting inadequate mental healthcare in prisons when they could have been diverted to hospitals or community based alternatives. Women and young people are particularly hard hit by prison being the default option, with the after effects of inappropriate detention often leading to pressure on relatives and even family breakdown.

The WI wants people with mental health problems to get the right care for their condition via more diversion schemes and better community mental health services offering safe alternatives to imprisonment.

The WI, with the Prison Reform Trust, has produced an action pack which outlines what the campaign has called for, what action the WI has taken, achievements so far and the challenges ahead. The pack also details how WI members can continue to help. The pack was sent to over 7,000 WI branches at the beginning of August 2010.

Find out more at the WI website.

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