Cambride women in focus

13th November 2009

Cambridge is the next stop for the Women in Focus road show, a nationwide series of events looking at how to best support vulnerable women offenders. 

Frances Flaxington, Head of the Government’s Criminal Justice Women Strategy Team, will launch the event today outlining national priorities and progress, and throughout the day there will be the opportunity to hear from experts including Trevor Williams, Director of Offender Management, East Anglia, and Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust.

The event will bring together a wide range of key local partners including healthcare workers, prison and probation officers, Crown Prosecution Service staff, and charities to share best practice and raise awareness of successful ways of working with women offenders in the community. 

The event will look at how best to work with non-serious female offenders in the East of England, supporting them to overcome problems such as domestic violence, mental ill health and alcohol or drug dependency - all of which can lead to re-offending.

 Maria Eagle, Ministerial Champion for Women in the Criminal Justice System and Deputy Minister for Women and Equalities, said:

 “Women offend in different ways and for different reasons to men. Many of these women need help overcoming abuse, mental ill health, alcohol or drug problems and they have children dependent on them.

 “Prison should of course be reserved for the most violent offenders, but for non-violent offenders there are better options. By tackling the root cause of women’s offending behaviour we will be better able to rehabilitate them. This will mean the women can go on tomake a positive contribution to their communities, children will not be divided from their mothers and crime will be reduced.

 “We have come a long way since Baroness Corston’s report two years ago, but there is still much to be done. We are investing £15.6m in developing cost-effective community sentences and other alternatives to custodial sentences, the Women in Focus events will build on the excellent work already being done. Government and experts from across the country will work together to find the rightanswers for non-violent women offenders who work locally and will command the confidence of sentencers and of communities.”

 Trevor Williams, Director of Offender Management, East Angliasaid: 

"Prison and Probation staff throughout the East of Englandare committed to working with our partner organisations to reduce re-offending and protect the public. Community sentences provide an effective alternative to short prison terms and address the underlying reasons behind offending behaviour. This event is a valuable opportunity to showcase the good work  taking place in the region and look at how we can better work together in the future”. 

The Ministry of Justice, the lead department in delivering the Government’s Response to the Corston Report, has allocated £6.8m of funding for voluntary organisations to provide extra and enhanced community support for women at risk of offending. This follows the successful provision of £3.1 million earlier this year for similar projects. 

Projects in the East of England that will receive funding are: Herts Women’s Centre (Stevenage, Luton and Watford), Stonham (Norfolk), and Addaction (Lincolnshire).

The Government Equalities Office-led Women in Focus events are a key part of the Government’s plans to review and promote best practice. The roadshow’s aim is to reduce both the number of vulnerable women serving short sentences, and the significant number of women on remand, for the good of the women, and society as a whole.

Women in Focus is part of the next stage in the Government’s plans that follow Baroness Corston’s ‘Review of Women with Particular Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System’. The events will consider how to utilise the Gender Equality Duty as recommended by Corston to radically transform the way help is given to women across the Criminal Justice System.

A report on lessons learnt from the events will be published early next year.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Please contact the Government Equalities Office press office on 0207 276 0459.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

• The aim of the Women in Focus events is to bring together key stakeholders at regional and local level to review practice and to help develop new approaches to meet the different needs of women offenders. The events will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to:

1. Improve their knowledge of: the needs of women offenders; the Gender Equality Duty as a lever to deliver services for women offenders; and how both of these relate to local targets and priorities.
2. Learn about best practice and identify how it can be translated into work to support delivery of priorities and targets locally as well as linking with the national agenda.
3. Network and learn about the work of other key local partners including community providers.

• Attending the event will be senior personnel from NOMS; local authorities; and local health trusts across the East of England. Staff from voluntary organisations that work with the criminal justice system in the region; representatives from the local Police, Crown Prosecution Service; sentencers and individuals working locally on policy concerned with women’s issues.
• Baroness Corston’s Review of Women with Particular Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) recommended that every agency within the criminal justice system must prioritise and accelerate preparations to implement the Gender Equality Duty and radically transform the way they deliver services for women.
• Further details on the Corston Review of Women with Particular Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System can be found at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/
• The Women in Focus roadshow was launched on the 25^th of September  in Birmingham by Maria Eagle, Ministerial Champion for Women in Criminal Justice system and Deputy Minister for Women and Equalities. The remaining events will take place over the coming months in Leicester, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Brighton and London. Guest speakers from a variety of national, local and non-governmental organisations including the Fawcett Society, the Department of Health, Department for Communities and Local Government  the Ministry of Justice with be speaking at the events.
• The Government Equalities Office is responsible for the Government’s overall strategy, legislation and priorities on equality issues. It was established in July 2007. The Office also has direct responsibility for policy on gender equality, sexual orientation, and for integrating work on race.