01 February 2008
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has urged the government to speed up the introduction of alternatives to prison for women in the criminal justice system.
Angela Greatley, the centre's chief executive, said: 'Very few women need to be in custody. We need urgently to invest in viable alternatives to custody for women on remand or under sentence.'
The Sainsbury Centre report, The Corston report and the government's response, published on January 29, is also concerned that there are no signs of progress on building smaller, more local units to replace women's prisons.
A study by the centre shows that short spells in prison, even on remand, damage women's mental health and family life yet do little or nothing to stop them offending again.
There are more than 4,400 women in 17 prisons in England. Four out of five women prisoners have mental health problems and almost half have been subject to abuse.
The report came as debate over general prison provision was reignited by chief inspector of prisons Ann Owers' annual report, published on January 30.
Owers said the government's determination to build new 2,500-place prisons flew in the face 'of our and others' evidence that smaller prisons work better than large ones'.
PFfeb2008
