Select committee: Justice Committee
Conclusion 33
First Report - Women in Prison
Published 26 Jul 2022
Paragraph 179
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Justice Committee Women in Prison All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
As discussed in previous chapters, we welcome the work being done to improve community alternatives to custody and to make these a viable option for women. However, for those who are sentenced to custody, given the small number of prisons, we know that women will often be placed far away from their homes, and the challenges this presents for both parent and child. The Assisted Prisons Visits Scheme is welcome; however, we are concerned to hear that families are not routinely made aware of it. The MoJ needs to do more to ensure that all families are made aware of the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme.
From: Justice Committee, First Report - Women in Prison (HC 265), paragraph 179, 26 July 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 21 October 2022 (deadline 26 September 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts most of the Committee's recommendations on women in prison, but states it does not accept three: mandatory full written pre-sentence reports, new data collection on custody as a place of safety, and a cross-department accommodation strategy.
- On pre-sentence reports, the government says it "does not accept" making full written reports mandatory for women facing custody, stating the court must already request one "unless it considers it to be unnecessary". A pilot evaluation is to be published in 2023.
- It does not accept the recommendation to collect data on custody as a place of safety, saying a cross-agency group found "no robust source of data" and the focus is on implementing reforms in the draft Mental Health Bill.
- It does not accept the call for a cross-department accommodation strategy "because this is already being delivered through other means", citing the Prisons Strategy White Paper and Beating Crime Plan.
- On new prison capacity, it states the new facilities "will aim to provide 456 additional places" across five women's prisons, with the first women expected in the new facilities "in early 2025".