Female Offenders

11 Mar

Question

Female Offenders

The House of Commons held a question session focused specifically on the measures taken to support female offenders. The main goal of the debate was to shine light on the initiatives put forth by the government and scrutinize their effectiveness and scope.

8 times higher rate of self-harm in women’s prisons compared to men’s

The contrast in self-harm rates between women's and men's prisons was used to highlight the urgency for targeted interventions within female correctional facilities.

Key topics included:

Departmental Steps for Female Offenders: Discussed by both Liz Twist and Sir Nicholas Dakin, with emphasis on reducing female incarcerations and providing alternative rehabilitative measures.
Prevention of Girls in Youth Offender Institutions: Sir Nicholas highlighted the outcome of the recent Susannah Hancock's review guiding policy changes.
Addressing Self-Harm in Women’s Prisons: Liz Twist stressed the significantly higher rates of self-harm in female prisons, seeking immediate solutions. In response, Dakin detailed ongoing efforts such as specialized training and recruitment of psychologists to mitigate these issues.

1 in 3 female prisoners have self-harmed

This statistic served as a crucial point of discussion, revealing the scale of mental health issues among incarcerated women.

Overall, the session underscored pivotal issues within female incarceration and the steps being trialed to ameliorate them, focusing heavily on mental health support and the prevention of youth incarceration.

Outcome

The session resulted in a detailed understanding of current and emerging strategies aimed at supporting female offenders, with significant commitments to mental health interventions and systemic changes to youth incarceration policies. The issue of self-harm was acknowledged as a priority area that demands immediate and sustained action.

Key Contributions

Liz Twist

Labour

Inquired about steps to support female offenders.

Sir Nicholas Dakin

Outlined the Government's support plan, aiming to reduce female incarceration.

Original Transcript

Liz Twist

Blaydon and Consett

Lab

Question

UIN: 903119

12. What steps her Department is taking to support female offenders.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice

Sir Nicholas Dakin

The Government’s plan to support women offenders is clear and ambitious. To reduce the number of women going to prison, our new women’s justice board will support the implementation of the plan.

This Government have taken immediate action to ensure that girls will never again be held in youth offender institutions following the publication last week of Susannah Hancock’s review into girls in the youth estate.

Liz Twist

Self-harm in prisons is now at the highest rate ever recorded. In women’s prisons, the rates are eight times higher than in men’s prisons—shockingly, one in three female prisoners has self-harmed. Does my hon.

Friend share my deep concern about those figures, and what is the Department doing to tackle that issue effectively?

Sir Nicholas Dakin

I certainly share my hon. Friend’s deep concern about that issue, which she is right to raise. Good relationships between staff and prisoners are essential in our efforts to identify and manage the risks of suicide and self-harm.

We are providing specialist support to establishments rolling out tailored investments, including specialised training for new officers, recruiting psychologists to support women, and piloting a compassion-focused therapy group designed for women.

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