Submission to the Justice Select Committee inquiry into women in prison

“Prison is a harmful and retraumatising place for women. These harms have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw support services abruptly withdrawn and family contact suspended. The APPG has launched an inquiry into health and well-being in prison and the Howard League would be happy to discuss this further with the Committee.

“The most effective way to reduce the damage caused by female imprisonment is to avoid imprisoning women. Women who have experienced trauma and abuse should not be criminalised for their coping strategies. Instead, the Government should fully implement its Female Offender Strategy and take an approach which recognises and addresses the unmet needs of women in the criminal justice system.”

Read the full submission