This specialist quarterly ebulletin keeps you updated on relevant developments for organisations working to support women in contact with the criminal justice system. Please contact Jackie Lowthian at Jackie.lowthian@clinks.org if there is anything you would like to raise or to include items in the next ebulletin.
In this edition...
- News
- Events and Training
- Publications and Resources
- Campaigns
- Blogs
- Funding
- Extra Information
Criminal justice: Women’s Justice Board and measures to reduce numbers of women going to prison
In her first conference speech as Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood announced the formation of a new Women’s Justice Board, tasked with “reducing the number of women going to prison, with the ultimate ambition of having fewer women’s prisons.” She stated that “for women, prison isn’t working” and pointed to evidence that around two-thirds of women are imprisoned for non-violent offences and that most are victims of domestic abuse. Initially, the Board will have three areas of focus: early intervention, community support, and young women in custody. Its work will be supported by a Partnership Delivery Group (PDG), which will openly recruit specialists from across the voluntary sector. There remains ongoing discussions with regard to how the Board will interact with the PDG, as well as regarding the eventual composition of the PDG. Clinks welcomes the focus on community rather than custody and we are engaging with officials to ensure that the expertise of the voluntary sector and specialist women’s organisations can be utilised as plans for the work are drawn-up. See the MoJ Press Statement here
Criminal Justice: Collaborating to change the shape of justice for women
Clinks is advising the Worshipful Company of Weavers, the oldest of the City of London’s livery companies, as it develops exciting plans to mark its 900th anniversary in 2030. With a 50-year track record of supporting criminal justice voluntary organisations, the company wants to invest in continued innovation to address the issue of women being sentenced to prison. In January 2025 the Weavers’ Company will host a summit to explore “where next” for justice for women. This event will bring together key stakeholders to focus on ending imprisonment for women and achieving better outcomes through community-based approaches. The Weavers Company will then launch an opportunity for a funded consortium to provide advice over the five years to 2030 to help develop an initiative that will change the shape justice for women. Register your interest in the summit here
Clinks research: State of the Sector 2024 – focus groups
We have begun our research for the 2024 State of the Sector report. We want to meet with people from organisations across the sector to understand and make sense of the experiences and forces that have shaped the last five years of the criminal justice voluntary sector. Together with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), we will be holding a series of in-person and virtual focus groups, and (as necessary) smaller interviews in November. It is critical to hear how specialist women's organisations are faring. We know that there are many challenges facing the women’s sector. By participating in the focus groups, you will help to provide Clinks with the evidence we need to continue to advocate for voluntary organisations delivering bespoke, gender-specific services for women and girls affected by the criminal justice system. Register you interest here
Clinks influence: Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Board (RR3)
Lord Timpson, the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, attended the September Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) meeting at which he discussed his priorities in his new role. He also heard from the Group’s members on a range of policy priorities, covering recall, employment, families and women, and was provided an update on the 2024-25 Special Interest Group on Community Provision. The minutes for the meeting are published here. The work of the RR3’s Special Interest Group on Community Provision continued with a session covering mental health services. Participants highlighted current challenges in accessing and delivering mental health services for people in contact with the criminal justice system and explored a range of solutions to the issues raised. The findings will be published in the New Year, alongside those from the first session on substance misuse services.
Clinks networks: women’s network forum applies a gendered lens to probation
The Clinks women’s network forum on the theme of improving probation for women met on 17 September. 39 people took part. Claire Rushton, HMPPS Women’s Group gave an overview of current arrangements for offering gender-specific approaches for women. Also, Sam Julius, Clinks Head of Influence and Communications, shared what Clinks has been doing to raise our members’ concerns about the impact of the probation reset on effective work with women, and the approach Clinks will take to influencing how probation models for women can be developed in the future. Participants then worked in small groups to discuss a series of questions about developing an improved model of probation for women. Notes from the groups have been collated and shared with officials and a blog will soon be published on the Clinks website.
Clinks networks: families network launches programme of work
In the Labour Manifesto there was a commitment to supporting the estimated 192,912 children with a parent in prison. Since the election the Clinks families network has met to develop a number of key asks for the new Government. These are divided into three elements:
- Improve support to families and children affected by the criminal justice system, ensuring their needs and wellbeing are supported in the community
- Improve support to families and children to maintain relationships with parental imprisonment
- Understand the expertise of, and invest in, the voluntary sector providing services to children and families, to ensure adequate resources are available both in the community and in prisons.
These have been shared with HMPPS and the MoJ. The team from the MoJ would like to work with the voluntary sector to understand current gaps in provision and explore how to improve the support offer. This initial workshop will focus on good practice and highlighting gaps in provision. Find out more here
Clinks training: Navigating the criminal justice system workshop
21 January, online, £75
Are you new to working or volunteering in the criminal justice system? Do you have volunteers or staff members who want to increase their understanding of the criminal justice system? Join us at this three-hour workshop for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to increase awareness of, and provide the opportunity to, explore and discuss how the criminal justice system is organised, the complexities within it, and how it works. Find out more and book your place here
Clinks training: Working and volunteering in prisons
14 November, online, £95
Working or volunteering in a prison can be quite daunting due to the many complexities associated with its unique environment and establishing the role of the voluntary sector within that can be challenging. Join us at this three-hour training session for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to raise awareness of the prison environment and provide information on key aspects such as staffing structures and departments, prison procedures and current challenges associated with working in prisons. Find out more and book your place here
A game of snakes and ladders
Monday 11 November 2024, 11:00am - 2:00pm, London
Join Clinks member Advance for this event which is coproduced with women with lived experience. Contact with the criminal justice system might offer some ladders of opportunity, such as access to programmes or supportive networks, but like the game, snakes risk sending people backwards. These include a lack of mental health support, experiences of domestic abuse and inadequate access to education, employment and training. This event will look at women’s journeys, before first contact with the police, all the way through to sentencing and after. The event will include guest speakers and an expert panel discussion where there will be an opportunity to participate, engage and interact. Find out more and book your place here
Women’s Resource Centre Training - Network for Black Women Leaders (NBWL) Bitesize Sessions: Strategies for Career Advancement for Black Women
14 November, online
Join the NBWL and guest Ruth Heron, Executive Coach from Kenroi Consulting, who will guide Black women through effective strategies for advancing their careers in today’s workplace. Open to existing members of the NBWL and Black women of African and Caribbean heritage interested in becoming members. For those who want to build professional networks, identify new opportunities and leadership positions. Hosted by Jaiye Elias, Project Lead for the NBWL. Find out more and book your place here
Handling Workplace Discrimination
12 December, online
Join the NBWL and guest, Carmen Morris, founder and managing director of Kenroi Consulting, as she guides members of the NBWL through a crucial discussion on handling workplace discrimination. This session will offer Black women practical tools and strategies for addressing discrimination, including how to identify, document, and respond to discriminatory behaviour or practices in the workplace. Open to existing members of the Network for Black Women Leaders and Black women of African and Caribbean heritage interested in becoming members. Hosted by Jaiye Elias, Project Lead for the NBWL. Find out more and book your place here
Join the NBWL Mailing List to be notified of other upcoming events and training opportunities.
Opportunity to promote your event
Clinks has launched a pilot programme to offer voluntary organisation members the chance to promote their events on our website, in our monthly Events Newsflash, and across our social media channels. The pilot will run for the next 6 months (October 2024 to March 2025). Find out about eligibility and pricing here
The case for gender-responsive interventions for criminal justice involved women
The Women, Crime and Justice Research Group at The University of Birmingham have recently published the pre-print of their meta-analytic review examining the effectiveness of interventions for criminal justice involved women. The analysis has found that gender responsive interventions are up to 42% more effective compared to gender neutral interventions. Other findings in the paper demonstrate features of interventions, such as intervention, format, focus, and length, that appear to be effective in reducing recidivism for criminal justice involved women. Their findings strengthen the case for investment in gender responsive interventions and diversion programmes. See here for the paper. More information on the Research Group’s work can be found here.
Beyond the Barriers: exploring access to family justice for women in prison in England and Wales
Dr Shona Minson, Centre for Criminology University of Oxford examines the significant challenges faced by women in prison in England and Wales who try to participate in family justice proceedings. Clinks member, Pact, supported the research through its ‘Together a Chance’ pilot project which placed social workers in two women’s prisons, making it possible to study imprisoned mother’s participation in family court proceedings concerning their children. The report sets out key findings in relation to barriers to participation, impact on children, legal representation and advice, and fairness in family proceedings and highlights the urgent need for systemic changes to support incarcerated women in accessing family justice. Read the report and see recommendations here
Set up to fail: women’s challenges after prison
Agenda Alliance are soon to publish a new policy briefing that will urge Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood to follow through on investing in the specialist community-based services which support women before, during, and after their contact with the criminal justice system (CJS). The briefing will provide a contemporary overview of the issues facing women with multiple unmet needs in contact with the CJS. Ahead of the briefing, they share this guest blog from alliance and Clinks member, Kairos Women Working Together. Through Mary’s* story, they provide a frontline picture of the significant challenges women face after leaving prison, highlighting how critical gender-responsive, trauma-informed, wrap-around support is to effective diversion work. Find out more here
Building choice in domestic abuse perpetrator interventions: reflections on what clients, victims and practitioners need
Published in September 2024, this report from HM Inspectorate of Probation, sets out key ingredients for effective work with domestic abuse perpetrators, with a focus on safety for survivors, building effective relationships with perpetrators and motivating change. Crucially, research shows that positive outcomes are more likely when practitioners are supported to develop and maintain positive working alliances. The report suggests that building and maintaining a proficient, experienced and valued workforce yields benefits in working effectively with those who present serious dangers to women and children. Read the report here
National Women’s Justice Coalition celebrates success of its Women’s Services Map
The Women’s Services Map website is now one year old and continues to grow and develop. In its first year, the Women’s Services Map has attracted over 13,000 new users, with an engagement rate of two thirds (65%). On average, visitors spend at least a minute on the website, engaging with content and scrolling through pages, generating almost 43,000 page views to date. With comprehensive contact details for over 90 women’s organisations, along with guidance for making direct professional referrals and self-referrals to more than 330 individual services, the website is a one-stop shop for women and girls searching for local, holistic, trauma-informed, gender-specific support. Find out more and access the resource here
Advance calls for the decriminalisation of truancy
Advance has launched a campaign highlighting the disproportionate impact of truancy prosecutions on women and is asking supporters to sign an open letter to the Secretaries of State at the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education. The letter calls for the decriminalisation of truancy and increased support services for families facing multiple disadvantages. You can access the open letter and more information about the campaign here.
Prison isn’t working for women, ministers say. Can it be fixed?
Following Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s speech at the Labour Party conference and her clear message that “prison isn’t working” for women, BBC InDepth rounds up views from people with experience of the criminal justice system to hear how they think it can be reformed for female offenders. Read what they said here
Triangle Trust 1949 Fund
Triangle Trust 1949 Fund has opened its second funding opportunity for 2024. The focus is again on supporting work with young women and girls and is open to organisations where 80% of the work they do is with women and girls. The Trust wants to fund work with young women and girls who are either already caught up in the criminal justice system or are highly vulnerable and likely to enter it. Projects will need to either be working towards reducing reoffending behaviours or reducing first convictions. Work can take place with young women and girls between the ages of 11 and 30. Triangle is particularly interested in funding projects working with young women and girls who are care experienced, come from Black or minoritised/racialised communities and work that is led by people with lived experience. Find out more and apply here
Receiving the Clinks women’s network ebulletin
If you find this quarterly bulletin useful, please tell your colleagues about it. If they would like to receive the bulletin, please encourage them to login to their Clinks account and go to this manage subscriptions page where they can sign-up. They will need to be a member of the women’s network so if they need to join, they can register here today
If you have any comments about this ebulletin or feedback for improvement, please email Jackie Lowthian.
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