Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 33
33
Deferred
Paragraph: 179
Families of women in custody are not routinely made aware of the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme
Conclusion
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.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation but did not address the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme or how to raise awareness of it. Instead, it focused on commitments to prevent homelessness for prison leavers through the Community Accommodation Service, detailing gender-specific provision, increased capacity for women in Approved Premises, and plans to increase Strategic Housing Specialists to one in every female custodial establishment.
Paragraph Reference:
179
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We accept this recommendation. In the PSWP, we committed to ensure that no one who is subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. MOJ has developed a Community Accommodation Service (CAS) so that prison leavers can access risk appropriate accommodation. The service brings the existing Approved Premises, Bail Accommodation and Support Service, and the new provision of transitional accommodation together under the auspices of one accommodation system. All of our accommodation services consider the needs of women. We provide accommodation dedicated to single gender usage as required. For high risk-offenders, we have increased capacity for women in the Approved Premises estate. To date the Approved Premises Expansion Programme has provided an additional 39 bedspaces for female offenders on top of the original 150 beds (6.5% of AP provision), delivered across eight sites. For bailees or those released on Home Detention Curfew, a new contract which will replace the BASS service with a new Community Accommodation Service (CAS-2), will come into place in October 2022. The new service will continue to have gender specific accommodation and retains the requirement for a minimum of 10% of the bed spaces to be reserved for females with accommodation in every probation region area. MOJ’s new Community accommodation service-Tier 3 (CAS-3), which provides up to 84 nights temporary accommodation for all individuals released from prison subject to probation supervision at risk of homelessness, will be rolled out across England and Wales by the end of this year. The new service will have gender-specific accommodation, with 10% of bed spaces in each probation region reserved for female offenders. The latest data, published 28th July 2022, supports our response that women are not disadvantaged in accessing our transitional accommodation service. Between 1st July 2021 and 17th June 2022, approximately 2,400 individuals, who would otherwise have been homeless upon release, were accepted on to our transitional accommodation service. Of these places 94% were for male residents, and 6% were for female residents. Males currently comprise 96% of the prison population, and females 4%. We also introduced Strategic Housing Specialists in 20 prisons last year. Four of these roles are in women’s prisons namely: HMP Styal, Bronzefield, Peterborough and New Hall. Our White Paper outlines our commitment to increase the number of Strategic Housing Specialists from 20 to 48 across England and Wales. This will include one within every female custodial establishment.