Tuesday 26 February 2013
Guide launched to ensure women’s health and wellbeing needs are
not missed by criminal justice staff
Today, mental health charity Together launches a new guide that offers
professionals the tools to recognise and respond to the health and
wellbeing needs of women offenders.
Despite recommendations made in the 2007 Corston report, around
13,500 women are still sent to prison each year1. More than half of
these women have severe mental illness and the same proportion will
have experienced domestic violence2. Their complex and multiple
needs are often overlooked by criminal justice staff3, putting them at
greater risk of re-offending.
Written by front-line forensic mental health practitioners from Together’s
growing Women’s Court Liaison and Outreach Service, the aim of the
guide is to support professionals to identify and address the needs of
women offenders. It does this by giving them practical guidance on
spotting potential issues, as well as the tools to refer women to
specialist community-based support services that can improve their
wellbeing and tackle their offending.
‘A common sense approach to working with women with health and
wellbeing needs in the criminal justice system’ will be launched today by
Vera Baird, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, at an
event organised by Together and hosted by London Probation Trust.
Health and criminal justice experts will meet to learn about working with
women offenders and the steps they can take to ensure women have
the best possible outcomes. The event includes a theatre performance
that will bring the issue to life, presented by Clean Break and written
and performed by graduates of the company’s education programme.
Linda Bryant, Manager of Together’s Criminal Justice services
said: “Together’s experience of working with women at court and within
probation is that they are less likely to draw attention to their needs,
often due to depression or anxiety or fear of the repercussions.
We have to make sure we identify the health and wellbeing needs of
these women – needs that are often significant factors in their offending
- so that we can divert them to specialist community services equipped
to support them. This must be done at the earliest possible point; before
these needs escalate, before offending behaviour becomes engrained
and before a revolving door cycle becomes inevitable.
We hope that this guide offers everyone working on the criminal justice
frontline - from police to the Judiciary - the practical tools needed to set
women on the path to wellbeing”.
Vera Baird, QC and Police and Crime Commissioner for
Northumbria said: “The new Together guide shows why we must focus
on the distinct, complex issues affecting women within the criminal
justice system. Despite being in the small minority, their needs are
often not met, especially when it comes to health and wellbeing.
“It is important that all partners come together to learn how we can
address women-specific needs in the criminal justice system and to
ensure that those who work on the front line have the expertise to
recognise issues and just as importantly, to respond to them in a way
which shows compassion. This guide will go a long way in supporting
professionals to do this.”
Mary Pilgrim, Lead on Women's Offender Issues, London
Probation Trust said: "Together’s new ‘common sense approach to
working with women’ is excellent, spelling out for us the gender-specific
approach we need to take to ensure we identify the needs of women in
contact with the criminal justice system and factors we need to consider
for effective engagement.
“The quick reference guide to signs and symptoms of health and wellbeing problems is particularly welcome and we value the references to
trauma experienced by many women in contact with the criminal justice
system".
Click here to download Together’s new guide A common sense
approach to working with women with health and wellbeing needs
in the criminal justice system
For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact,
Robyn Clark, PR & Marketing officer at Together on 0207 780 7376 /
07734 870 065 or robyn-clark@together-uk.org
Notes
Together’s criminal justice team:
Together’s criminal justice team currently delivers eighteen court liaison and
offender management services across London, the first of which was set-up in
1993. In response to the Corston report and in recognition of the unmet needs
of women, Together set up its first women-specific Court Liaison and
Outreach Service at Thames Magistrates Court in 2009. Since then it has set
up two further women’s services and currently assesses an average of 450
women per year, over half of whom are identified as having at least one
mental health issue.
Together’s companion ‘common sense’ guide:
Together’s companion guide A common sense approach to working with
defendants with mental health problems developed in 2011 can be
downloaded here.
References:
1. Reforming Women’s Justice: reducing the imprisonment of women
(November 2012).
The Prison Reform Trust.
http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Womenleaflet.pdf
2. Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile (December 2010). The Prison Reform
Trust.
http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/FactfileDec10small.
pdf
3. A Distinct Approach: A guide to working with women offenders. NOMS
Women and Equalities Group (March 2012).
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/noms/2012/guide-workingwith-women-offenders.pdf
Together for Mental Wellbeing is a national charity working alongside
people with mental health issues on their journey to leading fulfilling
and independent lives.
By working intensively with each and every person who uses our services,
focusing on their hopes and needs, Together can support them in building a
positive and meaningful future for themselves.
Today Together work with around 4 000 adults a month, the majority of
whom are building a positive future for themselves whilst living with complex
and recurring mental health issues, in more than 70 different locations.
Together provide a range of services to meet the different needs of people
with mental health issues. This includes accommodation, community based
services, providing advocacy and diversion and outreach work in courts and
probation.