Term 2 Lecture 4- Women, Children and Young People in Prison Flashcards
What are the key readings?
The Corston Report
What are the key points from the Corston Report about women in prison?
Most women do not commit crime
Women with a history of violence are over-represented
Women have lower involvement in serious violence, criminal damage and professional crime Women prisoners are more likely to be primary caregivers
30% of women lose their accommodation which in prison
What are the key characteristics from women in prison according to the Corston Report?
Most women were mothers
Some women were pregnant
Many were drug users
They often looked thin and unwell
They have been sexually, emotionally and physically abused
Many were not in control of their lives
Many did not have many choices
What are the recommendation from the Corston Report?
CJS must prioritise their preparation to implement gender equality duty and transform the way they deliver services for women
Government should announce 6 months to replace existing women’s prison
Strip searching should be reduced
Conditions should be hygienic
How many children get sent to YOIS?
73%
What is the primary focus on YOIs?
To provide a secure environment where young offenders can serve their sentences while also receiving education, training, and rehabilitation services aimed at addressing the underlying causes of their offending behaviour
What are the staff in YOIs trained to do?
To work with young offenders and provide support and guidance to help them make positive changes in their lives to create a supportive environment
How many children get sent to STCs?
17%
How many children get sent to SCHs?
10%
Where will young people aged 18-21 be held in?
A YOIs or within an adult prison
What are secure training centres?
Holding places where young children are if they have been remanded or sentenced to court where they receive a education curriculum and it has the prison infrastructure
What do STCs accommodate?
Vulnerable children between the age 12-17
What are secure children’s homes?
Specialized residential facilities that provide secure accommodation and care for children and young people who are deemed to pose a risk to themselves or others, or who are at risk of harm from others
How much do SCHs spend on the child?
£250k per year
What occurred during COVID in YOIs and STCs?
Operated at 50% capacity
Who has jurisdiction in YOIs and STCs?
OFSTED
What is the primary focus of SCHs?
Provide a therapeutic and nurturing environment Addressing issues and improve their well-being
Custodial ethos, the needs of the child and the welfare
What do the staff in SCHs trained to do?
To work with children and young people who may have challenging behaviours or complex needs.
They aim to create a safe and supportive atmosphere where residents can develop positive relationships and work towards positive outcomes
How many white people were sentenced into custody 2010 compared to 2019?
77% decrease (Ministry of Justice)
How many BAME people were sentenced into custody 2010 compared to 2019?
22.5% increase
What did David Lammy say about the outcomes for BAME individuals?
BAME individuals are more likely to receive harsher sentences, receive worse treatment from staff and peers, feel less safe and have less access to activities outside of the cell
What is the youth custody population by sex in 2019?
31 girls in custodial institutions causing vulnerabilities in girls
How many women represent the prison population?
4%- 2024
What does it suggest that women are overlooked in research about prison?
Suggests that prison have been designed for men by men without acknowledging the needs of women in prison
How many prisons for women are there in England and Wales?
10%
How many women serve a sentence commit a non-violent offence?
68% (Ministry of Justice)
What do women attribute offending behaviour to?
To their families
What does the Ministry of Justice say why women are sent to prison for?
To serve a sentence for theft than for violence against the person, robbery, sexual offences, fraud, drugs and motoring offences combined
How many women are given custodial sentences for less than 6 months?
50% in 2021
How many women are reconvicted within 1 year of leaving prison?
58%
What are the key issues relating to women incarceration?
The pathway into employment is low for women (4% 6 weeks after release)
Data doesn’t show that positivity helps women for after prison
There is disproportionality in self-harm in prison (10%)
Involvement in sex work (21%) and 74% linking it to drug addiction
Women are predominantly the primary carers for children
What occurs for foreign national women in prison (Prison reform trust)?
They experience barriers to accessing services and support in prison due to language barriers
What does the prison reform trust say about black and minority ethnic and foreign national women in prison?
They are more likely to experience isolation in custody leading to increased levels of depression and will less likely to seek help from healthcare staff
What does the prison reform trust say about BME women?
They are more likely to go to prison for drug offences but fewer are dependent on drugs compared to white women
What are the vulnerabilities for young women in prison? (MoJ)
High levels of self-harm
Mental health needs
Victimisation from peer groups
What does OFSTED highlight with young women in prison? (MoJ)
Education, training, employment achievement is low
What are the needs for young women in prison? (MoJ)
There is specific needs for violence and abuse counselling and to boost self-esteem
Encouraged to resist peer pressure especially about substance misuse and acquisitive crime
How many women have suffered from domestic abuse? (MoJ)
46%
How many women have suffered from sexual abuse?
1 in 3
What has the prison reform trust say about substance misuse?
52% surveryed that they have used heroin, crack or cocaine 4 weeks prior to being in custody
70% require detoxification upon entering prison
What did the Bromley Briefings find with mental health?
46% of women have attempted suicide at one point compared to 4% of the general population
How many women have a psychotic disorder?
1 in 7
What are the economic marginalisation with women?
There are disconnections from legitimate institutions
38% of women state a need to support their child as a reason for criminal behaviour
What are the relationships with women in prison?
Female criminal involvement is linked to relationships with family and significant others
35% of female offenders report having a criminal partner
What do mother and baby units allow?
Women who give birth in prison to apply to keep their baby for 18 months
Women who enter prison with children under the age of 18 months to apply to bring their bab into prison
What did the House of Commons Justice Committee find with mother and baby units?
There are 6 units with 64 places for women and 70 places for babies
What does the Corston Report say about the pathways for women?
There should be 2 pathways for women who have been abused, raped or experiences domestic violence and then those who have been involved in sex work
Community based sentences are an alternative
Needs to be a message about how to direct women away from offending
What is the 2018 Female Offender Strategy?
Reduce the number of women in prison and improve conditions
No new women’s prisons but community-based solutions
£5 million of cross government funding
What is the 2016 White Paper Prison Safety and Reform?
Recommend 5 new community prisons and to be incarcerated closer to home and better prepared for release
What did Martin et al report with women in prison?
They experience higher rates of mental and physical illness
What did Plugge et al report with women in prison?
During their sentence women’s health is unlikely to improve and often declines
What are the reasons why women won’t contribute to sport?
Expected to choose between phone call and going to the gym, gym clothing which hasn’t been adapted to women, foot sizing being too big, less access to healthy meals (less energy).
