Women offenders: after the Corston Report - United Kingdom ...
Women offenders: after the Corston Report - United Kingdom ...
Women offenders: after the Corston Report - United Kingdom ...
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Ev 12 Justice Committee: Evidence18 December 2012 A, B, C, D and Kate JohnsonThere are AA meetings, which are held on a weeklybasis in <strong>the</strong> prison, which <strong>the</strong> prison accommodates.There are very supportive prison staff and a lot of carefrom normal officers, even if <strong>the</strong>re was no psychiatrictreatment available. I was treated as a high risk, so Iwas monitored very closely and supervised throughoutmovements in <strong>the</strong> prison. The everyday officers and<strong>the</strong> alcohol treatment people did <strong>the</strong>ir absolute utmostto give as much pastoral care as <strong>the</strong>y could.Q55 Rehman Chishti: You would say that peoplecould benefit by having proper mental health treatmentwithin prison.C: I don’t think <strong>the</strong>re is any counselling for mentalhealth issues and <strong>the</strong>re is no referral outside onceyou have served your sentence. You can usually getall <strong>the</strong> medication you want, providing you knowwhat it is you want and you can convince <strong>the</strong> doctorsin <strong>the</strong> prison system enough; but, no, that is <strong>the</strong> onlytreatment that <strong>the</strong>re is.B: Can I say something about <strong>the</strong> drug thing? You aregetting people physically off drugs, but all <strong>the</strong> groupsand things are not compulsory. So people might bephysically off drugs, but mentally you are just goingto come out and go back on <strong>the</strong>m. My experience hasbeen very different from C’s. I didn’t find any care.Kate Johnson: The programme in Bronzefield was apilot project that was funded by <strong>the</strong> DAT. We did a kindof wrap-around service with <strong>the</strong>m where women couldgo in, detox and have a programme. Then, through acare worker, <strong>the</strong>y are referred to us. We went in before<strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> programme and did a whole approach,but that isn’t common.Q56 Rehman Chishti: A, you were going to saysomething on this.A: On <strong>the</strong> issue still of mental health, I have been asevere self‐harmer for 20 years and I never self‐harmedfor <strong>the</strong> last eight years; 12 months ago I actuallyself‐harmed in one of <strong>the</strong> open prisons. I have never,ever been given any counselling in all my sentence.I have been heavily medicated. I decided to come offall this medication myself eight years ago, and, I hada lapse 12 months ago. In <strong>the</strong> open prison I asked forsupport to get me some kind of medical professionalto help me. Two days before I was released somebodycame to see me and said, “I’ve come to start <strong>the</strong> workwith you”—two days before I was released. I said,“I’m about to go out <strong>the</strong> door”, and I’m still waitingthree weeks later for this support that has never beenmentioned by anybody since.Q57 Seema Malhotra: Thank you so much forsharing so much about your experiences. I just wantto ask a little more. You talked about your familyrelationships when you went in and how <strong>the</strong>y may havebeen affected, whe<strong>the</strong>r that is with wider family or withchildren. I am interested to know whe<strong>the</strong>r anythingcould have helped. Would you change anything about<strong>the</strong> way prison works that would help you better keeprelationships with family where you wanted to?B: With <strong>the</strong> whole visiting thing, you are not going tohave a good relationship with anyone. I was put onclosed visits for a year of my sentence on suspicion ofhaving drugs. I wasn’t caught with anything. You’rejust behind glass. So, to have any sort of relationshipwith anyone is impossible, isn’t it?C: I have certainly known of women who I’ve beenin prison with who’ve had small children, and in <strong>the</strong>visiting area <strong>the</strong>y can’t get off <strong>the</strong>ir seat; so <strong>the</strong>y can’tget down and hug <strong>the</strong>ir children. It’s very difficult tohave any physical contact with <strong>the</strong>m. It’s very muchdown to <strong>the</strong> wider family to bring <strong>the</strong> children to <strong>the</strong>prison to see <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>r. It’s very difficult.B: Men tend not to be as supportive to women. <strong>Women</strong>tend to kind of visit men more than men visit women.A: Also, <strong>the</strong>re’s <strong>the</strong> distance. I have a son, and when Ifirst got sentenced I had two choices of prisons. Onewas down south and one was up north. I ended up in[HMP X] and my son was in [county], and it was veryfew and far between with <strong>the</strong> visits. Even now, to thisday, my son is with my bro<strong>the</strong>r. I am quite fortunate,but <strong>the</strong> rapport with my son is not good. It could havebeen made better if I had been maybe closer and visitswould have been easier to access me.Q58 Jeremy Corbyn: For all of you, how did youspend your time in prison? Was it doing nothing, wasit education, was it working or was it just being lockedup and staring at <strong>the</strong> wall?C: Bronzefield make you have a programme. You arenot allowed to sit and do nothing, or it’s very unusual.They ei<strong>the</strong>r make you go to <strong>the</strong> gym, you have asupervised sport and <strong>the</strong>n you are able to work in<strong>the</strong> gym on your own, or <strong>the</strong>y make you do a danceclass or yoga or something. A lot of those classes aredesigned to build team building, so you are punishedor penalised if you choose to sit all day in your cell.Q59 Jeremy Corbyn: Did you find that good?C: Yes, absolutely.B: Bullwood Hall has a cardboard box factory andyou are sewing shorts all day long. That’s what youdo in that prison. Different prisons are different. Thereis very good education and things in Holloway. Can Imake a suggestion? You’ve got televisions in cells, whydon’t you show some inspirational DVDs? Instead ofpeople just watching “Jeremy Kyle” or whatever, putsomething good on <strong>the</strong> telly.Jeremy Corbyn: It sounds like a double punishment.B: Get some ex‐prisoners to make some DVDs of how<strong>the</strong>y have turned <strong>the</strong>ir life around and things and show<strong>the</strong>m that.Q60 Jeremy Corbyn: Did you have access to DVDs?B: There is a DVD player in <strong>the</strong> office that does gothrough all <strong>the</strong> tellies in <strong>the</strong> cells, and at Christmas orsomething <strong>the</strong>y’ll put a film on, so <strong>the</strong>y could do it.Q61 Jeremy Corbyn: But you did not have access toa DVD library itself.B: No.C: You could in Bronzefield if you were an enhancedprisoner.Q62 Jeremy Corbyn: A, what about you?A: I don’t know what to say.Q63 Steve Brine: What did you do all day for 18years?