Women in Prison

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Apr 2021 Closed: 14 Sep 2023 Parliament page
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 .
31 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
21 Oct
2022
Report published
26 Jul
2022
Report published
15 Dec
2021
Correspondence
12 Nov
2021
Correspondence
2 Nov
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
19 Oct
2021
Formal meeting · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
14 Sep
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
20 Jul
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
6 Jul
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Women in Prison HC 265 26 Jul 2022 44 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
25 results
Clear
5 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Liaison and diversion women's pathways lack direct investment, leading to inconsistent provision.
Liaison and diversion (L&D) services play an essential role in identifying a woman’s need and diverting her from the criminal justice system where appropriate. We are pleased to hear that NHS England has achieved 100% geographical coverage of L&D services … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by outlining a pre-sentence report (PSR) pilot, launched last year, aimed at improving the quality of information presented to court, with an evaluation report due in 2023, rather than addressing investment or consistency in L&D women's pathways.
Ministry of Justice
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6 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Set out financial investment and operational timeframe for women's liaison and diversion pathways.
The Ministry of Justice and NHSE/I should set out what financial investment is being made in developing women’s pathways and how this money will be spent to ensure that women’s pathways are being enhanced across all liaison and diversion services. … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by outlining an ongoing process evaluation of the Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) pilot, which includes female offenders as a priority cohort, with a report to be published in 2023, instead of detailing financial investment or timeframes for L&D women's pathways.
Ministry of Justice
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10 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Pre-sentence reports have substantially declined, lacking clear action to increase their use.
Pre-sentence reports (PSRs) provide the opportunity for a more personalised response to offending in order to support effective sentencing. We are concerned to see that the number of reports has declined substantially over the last 10 years. We welcome the … Read more
Government Response
The government announced £24 million over 3 years to support women in the criminal justice system through women's community sector investment and service integration, but did not specifically address the decline in pre-sentence reports or how it plans to increase their use.
Ministry of Justice
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11 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Publish evaluation of pre-sentence report pilot, detailing success measures, targets and ethnic minority outcomes.
Regarding the pre-sentence report pilot, the Ministry of Justice should set out how it will measure the success of this pilot, and the criteria it will use to determine whether to expand the initiative. The MoJ should also set out … Read more
Government Response
The government did not address the specific pre-sentence report pilot, its evaluation, or targets, instead stating that Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTRs) for substance misuse and secondary mental health are available in all court areas, with primary care coverage aimed for 100% by 2023/2024.
Ministry of Justice
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12 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Full written pre-sentence reports should be mandatory for all women facing custodial sentences.
Given the widespread agreement that pre-sentence reports play a crucial role for women, we agree with Lord Farmer and others that full written pre-sentence reports should be mandatory for all women facing custodial sentences.
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by outlining plans to provide 456 additional trauma-informed prison places across five women's prisons by early 2025, rather than addressing mandatory full written pre-sentence reports.
Ministry of Justice
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13 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Set out an indicative timeline for developing the remaining four Residential Women’s Centre pilot sites.
Whilst it is disappointing that the MoJ’s progress to date in establishing five new Residential Women’s Centres has been slow, we welcome the Government’s recent announcement that Swansea will be the location of the first centre. The Ministry of Justice … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing an internal review of the ACCT (self-harm prevention) process within the women's estate, rather than providing a timeline for remaining Residential Women's Centre pilot sites.
Ministry of Justice
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14 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Set out detailed operational plans and evaluation methods for Residential Women's Centres.
We recognise that the Residential Women’s Centre model is new and untested, and so we acknowledge the concerns of many of our witnesses over how the centres will operate in practice and how their provision will differ from that of … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing a multi-disciplinary Women’s Self-Harm Taskforce and various prison safety measures, instead of providing operational details or evaluation plans for Residential Women's Centres.
Ministry of Justice
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15 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Investment in new Residential Women's Centres risks diverting resources from existing community centres.
The Committee has heard about the benefits of existing Women’s Centres in potentially diverting women from custody and providing support to women in their local communities. We note the concerns raised by witnesses that the Government’s investment in Residential Women’s … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing the rollout of the OMiC Key Work and Case management model across the women's prison estate, rather than addressing the support for existing community-based Women's Centres.
Ministry of Justice
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16 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Community Sentence Treatment Requirements offer effective alternative; require 100% coverage in court areas.
Evidence suggests that Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTRs) can offer a credible and appropriate alternative to custody for women. The Committee welcomes the work being done to increase their use from what is a very low base through the CSTR … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing enhanced trauma-informed training for new and existing prison officers in the women’s estate, rather than committing to rolling out CSTRs for 100% court area coverage.
Ministry of Justice
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17 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Set out detailed plans for the 500 new female prison places, including modelling.
The Committee notes the concerns raised by witnesses that the commitment to build 500 prison places in the female estate appears at odds with the aims of the Female Offender Strategy. However, we also recognise that the 500 additional prison … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing reforms in the draft Mental Health Bill to prevent prisons from being used as a place of safety and enable direct transfer to therapeutic settings, rather than clarifying plans for 500 new prison places.
Ministry of Justice
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18 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Set out clear evaluation methods for the new ACCT process's success in reducing self-harm.
The increasing level of self-harm in the female estate over the last decade is alarming and while the number of self-inflicted deaths is low, even one death is one too many. We recognise that the MoJ and HMPPS are working … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by stating it concluded an internal review into the use of remand for own protection under the Bail Act 1976 and established a working group to implement reforms from the draft Mental Health Bill, addressing a different topic.
Ministry of Justice
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20 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Confirm full rollout of Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) and provide keyworker allocation timeline.
We welcome the implementation of the Offender Management in Custody model in 2021. The Ministry of Justice should confirm whether OMiC has now been rolled out fully across the female estate, and if it has not, the MoJ should set … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded with general information about reducing violence and enhancing prison safety, including a £37 million investment and an innovations taskforce. It did not confirm the full rollout of the OMiC model across the female estate or provide a timeline for keyworker allocation.
Ministry of Justice
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21 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Implementation of trauma-informed approach welcomed; staff training scope remains unclear.
Many women in prison or in contact with the criminal justice system have experienced past trauma, the effects of which can be long-lasting and affect the way in which an individual interacts with the system. We welcome the work the … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by stating that a review of health and social care across the women's estate is due to report in Autumn 2022, with next steps to be considered afterwards, without clarifying the scope of staff training.
Ministry of Justice
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22 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Clarify trauma-informed staff training requirements, structure, completion rates, and ongoing monitoring mechanisms.
The MoJ should clarify who is required to undertake the training. Additionally, the MoJ, HMPPS and NHSE/I should set out how the training will be structured and whether there will be mandated refresher training. The MoJ and HMPPS should also … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by discussing a joint Information Sharing Task & Finish group's delivery plan for 2022-2023, amendments to medical emergency protocols, and the refreshing of the Substance Misuse service specification, without addressing the specific questions about trauma-informed training.
Ministry of Justice
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24 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Require the Ministry of Justice to publish scope and timeframe for remand review.
We note from the Government’s response to our ‘Mental health in prison’ Report that it is conducting a review into the use of powers to remand an individual to 78 Women in Prison custody for their own protection under the … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing actions taken in response to PPO recommendations regarding Baby A and Baby B deaths, including a new policy on Pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units, and the development of a Pregnancy and Post-natal specification, which is unrelated to the requested review.
Ministry of Justice
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25 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Establish mechanisms for collecting reliable data on prison use as 'place of safety'.
It is disappointing that data gathering on this issue is so poor, such that it is not possible to estimate the number of people affected across the prison estate. The Ministry of Justice should put in place mechanisms for the … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by stating it has completed 25 out of 31 of Lord Farmer’s recommendations on family relationships and will publish a progress update by the end of 2022, which is unrelated to collecting data on custody as a place of safety.
Ministry of Justice
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26 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Require MoJ and HMPPS to set out work addressing violence across the female estate.
It is concerning that the rate of violent incidents across the female estate rose during the pandemic. Whilst we acknowledge that the pandemic may have contributed to the increase, the MoJ and HMPPS should set out what work is being … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing changes to the Basic Custody Screening Tool for data collection and efforts through the £19.7m BOLD programme to understand children affected by parental incarceration, rather than outlining work to address violence levels.
Ministry of Justice
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27 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Lack of reliable data on specific health needs of women in custody.
The Committee is concerned that, aside from statistics on self-harm, there is a lack of reliable and current data on the specific health needs of women in custody. In order to address women’s physical and mental health needs in prison … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by stating it is piloting changes to a scheme to enable more children to visit and plans a relaunch of the Help with Visits scheme by April 2023, which is unrelated to collecting data on women's health needs.
Ministry of Justice
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28 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Require NHSE/I, HMPPS, MoJ to publish action plan responding to Women's Health Review.
We welcome the work of the National Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review. Once the review has published, NHSE/I, HMPPS and the MoJ should set out an action plan for how it will respond to its findings, including operational … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by outlining measures to maintain family contact during the pandemic, retaining social video calling permanently, and introducing a new central data collection for family visits from February 2023, rather than committing to an action plan for the National Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review or improving health data collection.
Ministry of Justice
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29 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Require MoJ, HMPPS, NHSE/I to set out work improving prison healthcare and accessibility.
It is concerning that issues relating to healthcare continue to be a contributing factor to deaths in custody. The MoJ, HMPPS and NHSE/I should set out what work they are doing to: • improve communications between staff across all disciplines … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but focused its response on improvements in data collection for learning difficulties, educational attainment (exploring gender breakdown in Autumn 2022), and care experience (publishing guidance in Oct 2022 and a research project until Jan 2023), rather than addressing the requested improvements in staff communications, medical emergency response, drug management, or efforts to reduce healthcare waiting lists.
Ministry of Justice
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30 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Require MoJ, HMPPS, NHSE/I to report progress on PPO recommendations for female deaths.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Baby A and Baby B identified serious failings in the care and management of Ms A and Ms B, and some serious errors in judgement, as described in the subsequent reports by the Prison … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but did not provide an update on the PPO reports regarding Baby A and Baby B deaths or how lessons learned are being applied. Instead, it outlined commitments to transform the Prisoner Education Service, recruit Neurodiversity Support Managers (5 roles offered, others recruiting), develop personal learning plans, and work towards allowing prisoners to undertake apprenticeships with new regulations by early October.
Ministry of Justice
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32 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Require MoJ to publish plan and timeline for collecting primary carer data.
It continues to be a concern that the MoJ does not know how many women in prison are primary carers. Without this data, it is not possible to assess the specific needs of mothers in prison, or how well these … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but did not set out work or a timeline for collecting and publishing data on women in prison who are primary carers. Instead, it described commitments to improve job opportunities and employment support for women, detailing the roles of the New Futures Network and Employment Brokers, and noting that 10 Prison Employment Leads and 6 Employment Hubs are operational in women's prisons as of September 2022.
Ministry of Justice
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33 Conclusion Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Families of women in custody are not routinely made aware of the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme
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, … Read more
Government Response
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.
Ministry of Justice
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34 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Publish long-term retention plans for pandemic family contact measures and current visit data for women
We recognise the damaging effect that the pandemic had on face-to-face contact for women and welcome the measures that were taken to ensure that women could maintain contact with their families. The Ministry of Justice should set out what measures, … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but did not address family contact measures, pandemic-related changes, or family visit data. Instead, it detailed the Community Accommodation Service for prison leavers, outlining temporary accommodation, single-gender provision with 10% for women, and the support provided by Community Probation Practitioners and the Women’s Commissioned Rehabilitation Service for housing and holistic needs.
Ministry of Justice
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37 Recommendation Deferred
First Report - Women in Prison
Publish data detailing how ROL changes improved female offenders' access to Education, Training, and Employment
We welcome the changes to release on temporary licence to give prison governors greater autonomy and allow prisoners more opportunities to work and train with employers while serving their sentence. However, it is not clear how these changes have considered … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation but did not explain how changes to Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) specifically considered female offenders' Education, Training, and Employment (ETE) needs or provide data on improved ETE access via ROTL. Instead, it described a new performance measure for pre-release assessments for those with 10 months or less to serve (to be introduced in 2023) and outlined support structures for short-sentence prisoners focusing on resettlement and accommodation outcomes.
Ministry of Justice
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Government Response AI assessment · 44 of 31 classified
Accepted 15
Acknowledged 1
Deferred 25
Rejected 3
Total 31 recs + 13 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
15 Dec 2021 To committee Letter from Victoria Atkins MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 2 December 2021 on Women in Prison
Parliament page
12 Nov 2021 To committee Letter from London Prisons Mission, dated 1 November 2011, regarding Women in Prison inquiry
Parliament page