Today HMI have published a report on the state of womens’ prisons, highlighting the ways in which the prison system is failing women. The conditions are illustrated to have a detrimental impact on the mental health of those inside and broader repercussions for the children and families of women in prison.
Responding to the report, Campbell Robb, CEO of Nacro said:
“This report highlights the disturbing reality that many women in prison endure severe distress due to a lack of basic care and support on the inside. The fact that the rate of self-harm among women in prison is now 8.5 times higher than in the men’s estate is deeply alarming and ought to prompt urgent action by the Government to tackle these failings head on.
Several key issues are underscored in the report, including the failure of prison officers to provide the necessary mental health support, many of whom are overburdened, undertrained, and lack the time to truly engage with the women in their care. It’s especially concerning that a third of the women surveyed had no face-to-face visits with their families, despite overwhelming evidence that contact with family is vital for people’s wellbeing. The report lays bare how the struggles women in prison face are amplified by the chronic isolation they experience alongside a lack of basic support. Left feeling hopeless and with nowhere left to turn, many women in prison are driven to self-harm as a way to cope.
This report also calls attention to the inhumane conditions many women face, from being issued ill-fitting, men’s prison clothing to being denied basic necessities like adequate underwear. More worryingly still, the high use of physical force, and degrading experiences such as strip-searching serve to compound the distress and suffering of women in prison. This type of treatment is inimical to recovery or rehabilitation; and instead, can serve only to traumatise an already vulnerable group of people.
Nacro has long-advocated for a trauma-informed system centred on the rehabilitation of people in contact with the criminal justice system. The failures not only impact on women in prison, but has a significant impact on the lives of the 17,000 children whose mothers are in prison, their families and our broader communities.
In their current state prisons are failing women, making it more difficult for them to turn their lives around on the outside. This must change. This report ought to serve as a call-to-action for policymakers – we are hopeful that the creation of the Women’s Justice Board will begin the process of transforming prisons into environments where women are actively supported by trained staff, and to create supportive conditions that are conducive to rehabilitation.”
Learn more about our work
We operate in more than 40 prisons and provide services across England and Wales. We help 28,000 people across our services each year and run the CAS-2 service for the Government housing people coming out of prison on bail or licence. We work with people at every stage of the criminal justice system, from liaison and diversion services in police custody and courts, to resettlement into the community after prison. We use the insights from our services and the experiences of the people we support to campaign together for a criminal justice system which better serves us all. We’ve been working in this field for more than 50 years.
