Too many women in the UK are still being sent to prison instead of receiving community sanctions and targeted support to address the causes of their offending, according to a Soroptimist International.

The women’s prison population doubled between 1995 and 2010. Most women in prison serve short prison sentences for non-violent offences and many have themselves been victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. In 2011 the Soroptimist UK Programme Action Committee resolved to work with the Prison Reform Trust to reduce women’s imprisonment.

Now a wealth of information gathered by 139 Soroptimists clubs across the UK has been distilled into a report that is intended to spur national and local governments into action. The report recommends the development in England and Wales of a cross-government strategy for women’s justice, led by the Minister for Female Offenders. Recommendations for improvements to the oversight of women’s justice in Scotland and Northern Ireland are also highlighted.

The report will be presented to the Rt Hon Simon Hughes MP, the Justice Minister with responsibility for female offenders in England and Wales, at a meeting of the Advisory Board on Female Offenders on Tuesday 16 December.

The report paints a mixed picture of the criminal justice system’s response to women. It profiles some excellent local initiatives whilst mapping overall patchy provision of services for vulnerable women. Soroptimists were particularly concerned by the large number of women in prison who are mothers, and found little evidence that criminal justice agencies made adjustments to accommodate women with dependents (such as childcare provision or interventions scheduled around nursery or school hours).

The report paints a mixed picture of the criminal justice system’s response to women. It profiles some excellent local initiatives whilst mapping overall patchy provision of services for vulnerable women.

Findings include:

  • There are no women-only centres in North Devon, Somerset or Dorset.
  • There are no specialist residential facilities for women in Avon and Somerset, with Elizabeth Fry in Reading the nearest approved premises for women from these areas.
  • There are no approved premises for women in Wales.
  • There are no women’s centres in Warwickshire, although probation operates a women-specific outreach service.

The report’s key findings include a need for sustained political leadership, the importance of stable funding for women’s community services, the scope for more effective information sharing, and the opportunity to share learning about “what works” across the UK. Differences in approach between England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are identified whilst a number of common UK-wide themes are highlighted.

Please read the full press release here.

The report can be accessed here.