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Select Committee · Justice Committee

Women in Prison

Status: Closed Opened: 26 Apr 2021 Closed: 14 Sep 2023 31 recommendations 13 conclusions 1 report

This inquiry seeks to understand the progress made over the past 10 years to address female offending and reduce the number of women in custody. We also seek to understand how well female offenders’ needs are met in custody. Read the terms of reference to find out more about the inquiry .

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Women in Prison HC 265 26 Jul 2022 44 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
7 Recommendation First Report - Women in Prison Rejected

Consider establishing an overarching guideline or guidance for sentencing female offenders.

We recommend that the Sentencing Council considers whether an overarching guideline or guidance for sentencing female offenders is required.

Government response. The government explicitly rejected the recommendation for an overarching sentencing guideline for female offenders, stating that the sentencing code already requires Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) and that they are addressing the issue through the ongoing PSR pilot, which includes female offenders …
Ministry of Justice
19 Recommendation First Report - Women in Prison Rejected

Set out complementary work being done alongside ACCT to prevent over-reliance on the process.

Although many witnesses have welcomed the revised ACCT process, we note the concern expressed by some that there may be an over-reliance on ACCT, and a perception that it is seen as an outcome in itself. Whilst the ACCT should be seen as a means to achieving a successful outcome …

Government response. The government rejected the recommendation, explaining that a cross-agency group found no robust data sources for the issue and it is not practical to collect new data while focusing on reforms to prevent custody being used as a place of …
Ministry of Justice
35 Recommendation First Report - Women in Prison Rejected

Publish strategy to address education data gaps for incarcerated women, ensuring public availability

It is clear that there is a gap in education data for women, which makes it difficult to provide education that meets the specific needs that women may present with. We do not know their educational needs, whether they have learning disabilities, and nor do we know their qualification levels, …

Government response. The government explicitly rejected the recommendation, claiming the issue is already being addressed through other means. However, the subsequent explanation focused solely on strategies for reducing homelessness and providing accommodation services for prison leavers, including gender-specific provision and increasing women …
Ministry of Justice

Correspondence

2 letters
DateDirectionTitle
15 Dec 2021 To cttee Letter from Victoria Atkins MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 2 December…
12 Nov 2021 To cttee Letter from London Prisons Mission, dated 1 November 2011, regarding Women in P…