“At last – hope for women convicted of non-violent offences in our jails. This report outlines major changes to the way we deal with these women - who are not evil, violent offenders - just damaged, often by drugs, alcohol, domestic violence and child abuse. Prison for them is just an expensive way of making their offending worse. Eight out of ten female shoplifters are reconvicted within two years of release and 18,000 children are separated from their mothers by imprisonment each year – simply creating potential generations of future offenders”.

She continued;

“The government must act on the recommendations of this report - there is a groundswell of support for change. Our recent public opinion survey on women in prison conducted by ICM showed that over two in three (67%) said prison was not likely to reduce offending and there was overwhelming support (86%) for community alternatives to prison – for example, centres where women are sent to address the causes of their crimes whilst also having to do compulsory work in the community.

And womens' organizations around the country including the National Council of Women, the Soroptomists and the Catholic Womens League are actively campaigning for more resources in the community to address the root causes of women’s offending and investment in more alternatives to prison that reduce women’s offending behaviour and prevent further victims”.

ends

For more information or interviews please contact:
Lucie Russell: 0207 689 7734 or 07931 507873 or Sinead Hanks: 07931 380952

Notes to Editors

1. SmartJustice for Women is a campaign run by SmartJustice which is based at the Prison Reform Trust. SmartJustice promotes community based solutions to crime and is funded by the Network for Social Change and the Big Lottery Fund

2. SmartJustice for Women was launched at HMP Holloway in July 2005. Supporters include Michelle Collins, Sheila Hancock and Clare Rayner. The SmartJustice for Women EDM attracted 87 MP signatures.

3. The Corston Review was carried out by Baroness Jean Corston, previously the MP for Bristol East. It was commissioned by the Home Office as a result of calls for a public inquiry following the tragic series of six deaths at Styal prison between August 2002 and August 2003. Throughout 2006 Baroness Corston and her team visited overcrowded women’s jails, local women’s centres and alternatives to custody for women across the UK.

4. The SmartJustice poll was carried out by ICM interviewed a random sample of 1006 adults aged 18+ by telephone across the UK between 9th – 11th February 2007. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk

5. Results showed that over two in three (67%) said prison was not likely to reduce offending and almost three quarters (73%) did not think mothers of young children who commit non violent crime should be locked up. here was overwhelming support (86%) for community alternatives to prison The majority (77%) also thought it would be more effective for female drug addicts who commit non violent crimes like shoplifting to undergo drug rehabilitation treatment as well as doing compulsory work rather than being sent to jail. For full results of the SmartJustice Survey see www.smartjustice.org/womenssurvey.html

6. Key facts about women and prison:

· There were 4,329 women in prison on 23rd Feb 2007 compared with 1,811 in 1994.

· Most of the rise in the female prison population can be explained by magistrates and judges handing out harsher sentences. A woman is seven times as likely to receive a custodial sentence in a magistrate’s court than ten years ago.

· Eight in ten women are jailed for non-violent crimes. In 2004 more women were sent to prison for theft and handling stolen goods than any other crime.

· Two in three women released from prison in 2002 were reconvicted within two years of release, rising to eight out of ten for female shoplifters.

· The majority of women are in prison for very short sentences. In 2004 nearly two in three were sentenced to custody for six months or less. This means that staff have little opportunity to deliver programmes that can address the reasons that women are offending in the first place.

· Around one in three women prisoners lose their homes, and often their possessions, whilst in prison.41% do not have accommodation organised on release.

· Over a third of all adult women in prison had no previous convictions

· 2/3 of women prisoners have a drug problem, 2/3 have mental health problems and half have been victims of domestic violence

· Nearly 18,000 children are separated from their mothers by imprisonment each year and only 5% remain in the family home

· Nearly 1 in 3 women prisoners are from minority ethnic groups