BTEC Level 3 National Public Services

Unit 12 Crime and its effects on society

AS6

Women prisoners
Case study Women in the prison service

There are 14 women's prisons in England. None of these is in Wales. Female young adult offenders are held in dedicated young adult units, and there are currently four purpose-built female juvenile units. There are seven mother and baby units. The last ten years or so have seen a dramatic rise in the numbers of women in prison from an average of 1,560 in 1993 to around 4,463 in June 2006. An all-time high of 4,672 was reached in May 2004. Despite this rise in numbers, women in prison represent a very small proportion of the total prison population at about 5.7% of a total of 77,982 in England and Wales as at June 2006. Life in prison for women follows similar procedures to those for male prisoners. There are, however, a number of important differences in women's offending behaviour and their needs whilst in prison. These are explained in more detail below. Characteristics of the female prison population Offences. Women tend to commit less crime and their offences are generally less serious. In 2006, 33% of sentenced women had committed drugs offences; 19% were convicted of violence against the person; 12% for theft & handling and 9% for robbery. Foreign nationals. About 21% of the women in prison are foreign nationals compared to about 14% in male prisons. Ethnic minorities. As at 30 June 2006, 28% of the prisoners in the women's estate were from ethnic minorities in comparison to around 27% of prisoners in male prisons. Drugs. Women tend to have a different type of drug use from men with higher levels of hard drug use. Family. Women are normally the Primary Carers for elderly relatives and children. Around 55% of women in prison have a child under 16, 33% a child under 5 and 20% are lone parents. Distance from home. Because of the relatively small number of women's prisons, and due to their geographical location, women tend to serve their sentences further from their homes than male prisoners. This can place additional pressure on important links with family. Mental health. Up to 80% of women in prison have diagnosable mental health problems, with 66% having symptoms of neurotic disorders (anxiety, poor sleeping). The comparable figure in the community is less than 20%. Experience of abuse. Up to 50% of women in prison report having experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse. Self-inflicted deaths. Annual numbers of self-inflicted deaths are not easy to predict. Figures show there have been more female deaths than expected, given their proportion of the prison population; however recent figures buck this trend. Up to 1 May 2008 there has been one female death in custody, whereas in 2007 there were eight such deaths and three in 2006 (which is the lowest number since 1998). Self-injury. The incidence of self-injury among women in prison is significantly high, given that they make up roughly 6% of the prison population. Since 2003, approximately 30% of female prisoners self-injured each year (compared to 6% of males). These prisoners make up roughly one quarter of all prisoners who self-injure and contributed approximately half of all incidents. These proportions are higher for young offenders. Security. Women generally present much lower risks than men. Women's prisons do not experience as many serious incidents, although the rate of adjudications is higher. Resettlement. Whilst for men the first priority is getting employment, for women accommodation normally ranks higher.

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Unit 12 Crime and its effects on society

BTEC Level 3 National Public Services

AS6

Women prisoners (cont.)

Working in small groups

Think about females in the prison service and discuss 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The management of womens prisons is this different to a male prison? Factors regarding womens health in prison what needs to be considered? Pregnant women what support/facilities are available? Mother and Baby units how do they work? Do you agree with women keeping their babies in prison? Children visiting prisons what effect might this have on the children? How can the prison service make it easier for those concerned?

Have a look at the website for more information. www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/prison_life/femaleprisoners/

Pearson Education Ltd 2010. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.