Recommendation 21

In its written evidence, De Montfort University told us that ‘softer’ services such as contact with family, education, work based training, peer support and therapy were of huge importance in the rehabilitation of prisoners. It also told us that therapeutic community- based interventions had a greater success rate for female offenders than a prison sentence.46 Despite there being other issues with the condition of the prison, HMP Holloway had a good reputation for therapeutic interventions. We were concerned that prisoners who would have been held at Holloway were now held in prisons outside London and no longer had access to the services it provided. HMPPS told us that it had tried to keep some of the good practice that had been established in Holloway and to ensure prisoners have access to therapeutic activities. In 2016, 22 women died in prison, of which 12 were self-inflicted 38 IPE0004 - Improving the prison estate, DeMontford University, 1 July 2020, para 27 39 Q 81, C&AG’s report, Figure 9 40 IPE0003 - Improving the prison estate, Prison Reform Trust, 1 July 2020; IPE0004 - Improving the prison estate, DeMontfort University, 1 July 2020; and IPE0009 - IPE0009 - Improving the prison estate, Howard League for Penal Reform 1 July 2020 41 Qq 84–86, 89, HMPPS, Annual Report and Accounts 2018–19, HC 2291, 18 July 2019 42 Qq 86, 91 43 Q 92 44 Q 86 45 Q 82 46 IPE0004 - Improving the prison estate, DeMontford University, 1 July 2020, para 20 Improving the prison estate 15 deaths, the highest level on record. We asked HMPPS whether it thought there was any links between the closure of HMP Holloway in 2016 and the number of women who die in prison. HMPPS told us that it had not seen any evidence to suggest that there was a link between the two. It confirmed that it was concerned about the extent of self-harm within women’s prisons, and was focused on ensuring people had access to the right support.47