With the government “committed to further improving the treatment of female offenders and reducing the number of women in custody”[i], a new briefing has been published by Revolving Doors Agency^[ii]  and the T2A Alliance highlighting promising work already underway by police and crime commissioners at a local level.

Women’s offending has a distinct profile compared with men. Women make up just 5% of the prison population, and 81% of women entering prison have committed non-violent offences.[iv] It has long been recognised that women benefit from a distinct approach in order to reduce reoffending rates – particularly given the multiple and complex needs faced by many women offenders:[v]

• 71% of female prisoners suffer two or more mental disorders
• 70% of women entering prison require clinical detoxification
• 53% of women in prison experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse as a child
• More than half of women in prison report having suffered domestic violence
• Six out of ten women in prison have at least one dependent child

The briefing argues that local leadership is crucial to developing a more effective approach, and that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have an important role to play as an advocate for a women-specific approach in their area. It is the third in a series of ‘PCC spotlights’ by Revolving Doors Agency and the T2A Alliance, highlighting promising practice among police and crime commissioners (PCCs) on challenging partnership issues.[vi] Areas highlighted include:

• Northumbria – where the PCC has prioritised prevention and earlier intervention, piloting schemes such as the Voluntary Intervention Project to encourage early diversion into women-specific support (where appropriate), and targeting improved support for vulnerable women including young adults (18-24) and women who are victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

• Cumbria – where the PCC has supported Women’s Community Matters programme to provide a gender-specific programme of support for women in contact with the criminal justice system, whether as victims, offenders, or both.

• Greater Manchester – Where the PCC has worked with partners to develop a ‘whole system’ approach for women offenders as part of wider public service reform agenda in the region. Key features of the model include police triage and diversion; delivery of women-specific community orders (including via a problem solving court); and resettlement services.

Many other PCCs are also supporting targeted work to promote a more effective response to women’s offending. Key themes identified include: the importance of local women’s centres; a focus on diversion and earlier intervention; targeted support for at risk groups such as young adults and women involved in prostitution; supporting community-based alternatives to custody; and the need for strong local partnerships at a strategic level locally.

[i] See House of Commons Justice Committee (2015) Women offenders: follow-up: Government response to the Committee’s Thirteenth Report of Session 2014–15, p. 1.

[ii] Revolving Doors Agency is a charity working across England to change systems and improve services for people who face multiple and complex needs and come into repeated contact with the police and criminal justice system. Further information at www.revolving-doors.org.uk

[iii] Prison Reform Trust (2015) Why Focus on Reducing Women’s Imprisonment London: Prison Reform Trust, p 4.

[iv] See Prison Reform Trust (2014) Brighter Futures: Working together to reduce women’s offending, p. 7-8 for further statistics on the health and social care needs faced by female offenders.

[v] ‘PCC spotlights’ are being produced as part of the First Generation Project, and are available online here: . The First Generation Project aims to raise awareness of the problems faced by repeat offenders with complex needs and young adults in contact with the criminal justice system, highlighting evidence of promising practice and effective solutions, and working directly with PCCs and their staff to help implement these solutions. The project is supported by the Barrow Cadbury Trust (www.barrowcadbury.org.uk)

Dan Jarvis, Labour MP for Barnsley Central and Shadow Minister for Justice, visited a new Rotherham service for young adults in contact with the criminal justice system.  Part of the national T2A Transition to Adulthood Alliance Pathway programme, the service supports young adults to access community resources to help with areas such as employment and training, housing, mental health and substance misuse. They are supported to identify, understand and alter any behaviours that are creating distress, and to develop tools to uphold these changes. This might include building emotional awareness, confidence, negotiation and problem-solving skills, as well as strengthening their relationships with others, such as family and friends.

Run by national mental health charity Together, the service provides support to 17 to 24-year-olds from the point they come into contact with police and emergency services in Rotherham. Staff help young adults to manage their mental well-being and to avoid future contact with police or overuse of emergency services. Dan Jarvis’ visit coincides with the official launch of the project, which started taking referrals this March.

Dan Jarvis talked to staff and heard about young people’s experiences to learn about how the service works in practice and how young adults benefit.  He said: “Young people with mental health problems are significantly over-represented in youth custody, and far too many end up coming into contact with the criminal justice system because they are unable to access support at an earlier stage.  Much more needs to be done to tackle this if we want to stop youth crime before it starts and successfully rehabilitate young people who do commit offences. 

Today, T2A Alliance member, Revolving Doors Agency, is publishing two new ‘checklists’ for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), focusing on how PCCs can improve responses to young adults and people facing multiple and complex needs in contact with the criminal justice system. These short briefings build on the 2013 report First Generation: One Year On, supported by the Barrow Cadbury Trust as part of its Transition to Adulthood (T2A) programme. These reports produce a series of recommendations based on research and experience of effective solutions, and on examples of good practice from PCCs across the country. The checklist on young adults produced on behalf of the T2A Alliance, Improving Responses to Young Adults, presents a checklist with suggestions as to how PCCs should:

• Include specific provision for young adults in local diversion and crime prevention strategies
• Work with partners to reduce young adult reoffending
• Champion improved policing of young adults and
• Engage with young adults.

A broader checklist briefing  ‘The Revolving Doors Checklist – how police and crime commissioners can improve responses to offenders with multiple and complex needs’, suggests how PCCs can improve responses to the ‘revolving door’ population by:

• Reducing demand on frontline police through effective diversion strategies
• Helping to tackle ‘revolving door’ offending
• Involving people with direct experience of the problem and
• Adopting a ‘whole system’ partnership approach to tackling multiple and complex needs locally.

It is hoped that these checklists will provide a useful resource for PCCs as they continue to review their strategies and implement their commitments around reducing crime and tackling repeat offending.

Speaking to the Justice Select Committee about the government’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance, said:

‘We do have a serious concern as a member of the Transition to Adulthood Alliance about 18 to 20-year-olds, or 18 to 25-year olds, who consume a large proportion of probation resources. One study found that about a third of probation time and resources were spent on that young adult age group. There is a need for investment in that age group and perhaps a national strategy to ensure that we are doing the right thing by older teenagers and young adults.’

See the full transcript here: