25 July 2007
David Hanson MP, Minister of State for Justice, spoke today at the launch of the Fawcett Society's annual report on Women and the Criminal Justice System.
David Hanson said:
"Prison is an important institution in our nation. But it needs to be used for the right people if it is to be effective. We need to get the balance between custodial and non-custodial right if we are to have a penal policy that is tough, safe and effective.
"We need to look again at who we are sending to prison. The rhetoric that we should just keep building prisons is an over-simplification of a far more complex problem. Building more prisons is not an answer in itself although this Government has increased prison capacity by nearly 20,000 places. And 9500 more will be provided by 2012.
"The real answer lies in reducing offending. Stopping those who are likely to become offenders before they do and removing those who are in a cycle of crime from it.
"Women's needs and their interaction with the justice system need to be taken seriously. We need to ensure that we have a justice system which treats all who come into contact equitably and with decency, but which is effective. I believe that means we need to look at those women who are in custody and ask the hard question; is this the most appropriate and effective environment to punish and to rehabilitate.
"Often that answer will be no. In those circumstances we need to make sure that there are a range of interventions and penalties which really do meet their complex needs and which encourage rehabilitation. Ultimately our success will not be seen by fewer people in prison, but by fewer offences committed."
The Government is concerned about the increase in the female prison population over recent years and recognises the need to deliver a distinct response to women's offending.
For women who are serious or seriously persistent offenders and present a risk to others, prison will continue to be necessary, as the safety and confidence of the public must remain the priority.
Deciding what sentences are appropriate for women offenders is rightly entirely a matter for the courts, but the Government is working hard to ensure that custody is only used for those women who really need to be there. Many women who end up in the criminal justice system have themselves suffered abuse and victimisation. Therefore, we cannot ignore the links between victimisation and offending if we are to tackle women's offending effectively.
Whilst the main principles for ensuring prisoners' health and well being apply across all types of prisons and prisoners whether male or female, women prisoners also benefit from specifically targeted policies and interventions that include:
- individual crisis counselling for women prisoners who self-harm;
- investment and planning to ensure progress on the detoxification strategy in women's prisons;
- introduction of a training pack for all staff working with women in custody, which includes a module on the health and well being of women prisoners; and
- £1million from the Department of Health has been allocated to women's prisons to be spent on the recruitment of psychiatric nurses, and all seventeen prisons for women now have mental health in-reach facilities.
The Minister confirmed that the government response to the Corston report on women in prison would be produced in the autumn.
Ends