Recommendation 1
To urge/direct the Prison Service to continue to ensure that prisoners coming to East Sutton Park have enough time left to serve, in order to ensure that the greatest benefit in resettlement can be achieved, and therefore representing value for money.
Government response
I understand the Board’s ongoing concern about the progression of women from closed to open prisons, such as HMP East Sutton Park with enough time left to serve to gain the most from resettlement opportunities. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) remain committed to improving resettlement opportunities for all women. The MoJ Female Offender Strategy published in June 2018 launched an ambitious programme of work to improve these outcomes and make society safer by tackling the underlying causes of offending and reoffending.
HMPPS acknowledges that open prisons, such as HMP East Sutton Park can provide greater benefits to women who have longer left to serve due to staff having a longer period in which to be able to assist them with resettlement support. It is important that the capacity within the women’s estate is used effectively to serve the courts and there is clearly a balance to be struck between allocating women to HMP East Sutton Park and holding them closer to home to maintain family ties and deliver effective resettlement.
However, the impact that short sentences can have on the rehabilitation of women prisoners is also recognised. Therefore, there is no criteria setting out a minimum amount of time that a woman must have left to serve in order to transfer to HMP East Sutton Park. In addition, national restrictions on transfers currently remain in place to minimise the Covid-19 virus spreading and to protect those that work and reside in prisons.
As previously indicated in my response to last year’s annual report, prison offender managers continue to determine the point at which a woman should move based on their individual circumstances. Implementation of Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) in the women’s estate is planned to commence in April 2021 which will greatly improve the way HMPPS support and case manage women through their sentence. All closed women’s prisons are also aware of the regime, facilities and opportunities available at HMP East Sutton Park and the prison continues to work closely with other women’s prisons and Population Management Unit at HMPPS headquarters to identify suitable women for allocation.
HMPPS acknowledges that open prisons, such as HMP East Sutton Park can provide greater benefits to women who have longer left to serve due to staff having a longer period in which to be able to assist them with resettlement support. It is important that the capacity within the women’s estate is used effectively to serve the courts and there is clearly a balance to be struck between allocating women to HMP East Sutton Park and holding them closer to home to maintain family ties and deliver effective resettlement.
However, the impact that short sentences can have on the rehabilitation of women prisoners is also recognised. Therefore, there is no criteria setting out a minimum amount of time that a woman must have left to serve in order to transfer to HMP East Sutton Park. In addition, national restrictions on transfers currently remain in place to minimise the Covid-19 virus spreading and to protect those that work and reside in prisons.
As previously indicated in my response to last year’s annual report, prison offender managers continue to determine the point at which a woman should move based on their individual circumstances. Implementation of Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) in the women’s estate is planned to commence in April 2021 which will greatly improve the way HMPPS support and case manage women through their sentence. All closed women’s prisons are also aware of the regime, facilities and opportunities available at HMP East Sutton Park and the prison continues to work closely with other women’s prisons and Population Management Unit at HMPPS headquarters to identify suitable women for allocation.