This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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A better way for women offenders
28/02/2002
Effective and workable alternatives to custody are needed to divert female offenders away from Scotland's prisons, according to a report published by the Ministerial Group on Women's Offending today.
Chaired by the Deputy Justice Minister Richard Simpson, the group was created in December 2000 to develop and take forward a package of measures designed to reduce significantly the number of women held in custody in Scotland.
The report 'A Better Way' looks at four key areas; the make up of Scotland's female prison population; prevention and early intervention, community disposals and offender aftercare. The report also draws conclusion and contains a number of key messages. Some of these are:
The female prison population consists of three main groups:
- The number of women sent to prison for minor offences on short sentences (84% of women in 2000 served less than 3 months)
- The number held on remand (which account for half of the number of annual receptions)
- The number of women in custody for fine default (a small proportion of the average daily population but for the past decade, more women have been received into custody for fine default than on a direct sentence.)
Prevention and early intervention:
- The report stresses the importance of social inclusion and specific programmes to help prevent the problems which lead women to offend, and to tackle the causes of crime as well as offering help to first time offenders to help them address their offending behaviour and therefore avoid getting into a cycle of crime
- Diversion - where possible criminal justice agencies should actively seek to divert women to services which can help them deal with underlying problems. The earlier the system intervenes, the more likely it is to succeed
- Young women - direct early intervention and prevention services for looked after girls should be provided to help those at special risk of offending
Community disposals:
- An effective and broad range of community disposals should be available across the country as alternatives to custodial sentences
- Important to build the confidence of the courts in community disposals and address the needs of the victim by ensuring these disposals are effective
- Highlights the use which can be made of the increasing range of disposals such as Diversion from Prosecution Schemes, Drug Treatment and Testing Orders, Drug Courts and Restriction of Liberty Orders
- Time Out - the proposed Glasgow centre would offer the courts a specialist facility for women over 18 who are part of the criminal justice process and who may or may not have addiction problems. Will operate as part of a network of community services for women and provide a day programme of assessment, counselling, support, advocacy and group work
Offender aftercare:
- New 'Passport' Scheme - excellent example of an effective tool for offenders leaving prison to help them access support services
- Important to support programmes in both prison and the community that help women break the cycle of crime
- Stresses the importance of treatment for drug, alcohol and other substance misuse problems
The female prison population in Scotland has risen each year since 1991, in line with trends across the rest of the UK. The report concludes that an earlier target of halving the number of women held in Cornton Vale is unrealistic but does propose a series of targets for preventing further increases in the female prison population in Scotland.
These are:
- To reduce adult women in prison for minor offences for short periods of time by up to 300 receptions (admissions) a year
- To reduce the number of women held on remand by up to 250 receptions a year
- To reduce the number of women in prison for fine default by up to 300 receptions a year
- To reduce the number of young women offenders by up to 75 receptions a year, as well as target specific action for those aged 16 and 17 years of age.
The report was launched by Dr Simpson during a visit today to the Glasgow Drugs Crisis Centre with Minister for Social Justice Iain Gray.
Commenting on the report, Dr Simpson, said:
"It is vital we address the individual needs of women offenders in the criminal justice system and understand the problems which often lead women to offend. We need to take practical measures to tackle the root causes of crime and break the cycle which leads women into criminal behaviour.
"Whilst imprisonment will remain the right option for those who commit serious crimes, the report found that most women in prison pose little or no threat to the public. This is why we must have the right community disposals available to those who need them so that the courts can chose suitable programmes to help these women rather than believing the only option is to send them to prison. These will be tough disposals but they must also ensure that these women address their offending behaviour.
"It is disappointing to note that despite the increase in alternatives to custody, the courts are still choosing to remand high numbers of women and impose short custodial sentences for minor offences and fine default. This serves particuarly little purpose for those who are in for less than 24 hours as well as wasting resources.
"The Executive is committed to reducing the number of women offenders. We must make sure the courts are confident enough to use these alternatives so that they choose to use them rather than send women to prison. We must also make sure the needs of the victim are addressed and they are reassured that these alternatives to custody are effective.
"It is clear that a change in culture is needed to tackle the problem of women's offending and to give a renewed focus on rehabilitation and treatment rather than punishment alone. We must learn lessons from this report, building on the initiatives we have already introduced. The Executive is committed to working with other agencies to taking this report forward."
"The female prison population in Scotland is slowly rising and the social implications, especially for children, of this must be urgently addressed when so many of those imprisoned are mothers or carers.
"It is also clear from this report that the problem of female offenders is no longer confined to Glasgow and the West of Scotland, with the female wings at local prisons in both Aberdeen and Inverness for the first time operating at full capacity. We must learn lessons from this report building on the initiatives we have already introduced. The Executive is committed to working with other agencies to taking this report forward."
"During his visit to Glasgow today, Dr Simpson also launched the new 'Passport' scheme, which will help women leaving HMP Cornton Vale. It will provide women with information about support services as well as provide easier access to benefits, GPs, housing, health, social work and prescribing services.
The Minister said:
"This is an excellent example of the kind of multi agency initiative which has the potential to make a real difference. It will help women going back into the community and make the transition as smooth as possible.
"This scheme is mentioned in the report from the Ministerial Group today. It is clear that a lot more work needs to be done but it is encouraging to see that many of the recent initiatives introduced are already beginning to have a positive impact.
"Today's report goes a long way to helping us understand how to address the problems associated with women's offending. People from many different agencies have been involved in producing this report and I would like to thank them for their efforts. This inter-agency approach underpins the Executive's continuing commitment to improving the way that the criminal justice system deals with women who offend."
The Ministerial Group on Women's Offending was set up in December 2000 to take forward the work done by the Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) on Women's Offending. The establishment of the Forum was one of the action points resulting from the report "A Safer Way" which followed a series of suicides at Cornton Vale in the period 1995-97. The work of the Forum was drawn to a close and the Ministerial group on Women Offenders was set up with the Deputy Minister for Justice as its chair and a wider membership. The Group was asked to complete its work within in a year and so it met from December 2000 to December 2001.
The group drew together people from a number of organisations, including Strathclyde Police, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish Prison Service, the Social Work Services Inspectorate, Social Work Departments in Glasgow and Fife Councils, Greater Glasgow NHS Board, Scottish Courts Service, Turning Point Scotland and the Justice Department.