Women offenders: after the Corston Report - United Kingdom ...

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Ev 86Justice Committee: Evidence— “They’ve got a crèche at the place where I do my course and that’s great, because it means I don’thave to worry about the kids, especially during school holidays. Also, it’s really good for me as itmeans I get a break myself. I have them all day and I actually enjoyed sitting with the staff and theother women and just being able to talk about stuff.”— “I was having problems getting to the course. My fella always kicked off when I was going and italways ended up in a big fight. In the end I stopped going because I couldn’t be doing with all theaggro. I started to get breached all the time, but in the end I had to tell my support worker becauseI was worried that I would end up going inside. She told my probation officer and they got it allsorted. It was like a massive weight off my mind that they actually listened to me and knew I wasn’tjust trying it on.”— “There’s a Support Worker attached to my course. She’s not part of Probation and so you feel likeyou can tell her anything. She’s sorted out loads of things for me. She got in touch with the CouncilTax for me and sorted out my bill and also got me a free buggy when the baby was born. She’s great.”3.3 Housing and other provision post prison— “I rang you last week and you said to write about my experience on ‘HDC’ and my ‘Recall’ andhow I didn’t cope.So I thought I would put pen to paper and write it all down.I was sentenced to three and a half years on 1/4/2011 after spending months on remand. I spent 11months of my sentence at Eastwood Park and moved on to ‘Send’ and did a remaining seven months.I was an enhanced prisoner and had good jobs and had done a lot of education.I would like to thank you for my Diploma you funded in Drug, Solvent and Alcohol, CounsellingLevel 4 as I passed it on 8/5/12 with a Distinction. I also did an NVQ2 in Business Admin in 11weeks at Send.I was living on the resettlement wing at ‘Send’ and worked cleaning the visits centre, outside thegate and volunteered in the tea bar. I had a good prison record.I got my ‘HDC’ eight weeks late and due to this missed my grandad’s funeral and had problemswith probation which I had to get a solicitor to help me with.I was released from ‘Send’ on ‘HDC’ on 2/7/12. Probation had arranged for me to stay in a ‘SB’hostel in Plymouth during my HDC. I arrived at Plymouth and on first sight, the flat was lovely andmore than what I expected. The hostel was meant to be ‘low risk’ and there were three othergirls there.The first night ‘S’ introduced herself as my neighbour. She seemed ok, but I was later to find outthat she was a big problem. She latched onto me and I could not even eat a meal alone. She wasspending her money on drugs, so was looking to free load. She was stressing me out. I couldn’t goto the Key worker as the Key worker thought she was brilliant, but she was far from that as sheshowed me she was storing her meds to take into her Bf prison. I began to feel really unsafe. Myanxiety attacks were through the roof. I went to the doctors begging for help and told probation howI felt, but I had three different probation officers in three weeks that did nothing. I went to otheragencies for help and self-referred and was put on waiting lists, in three weeks I got no real help formy mental health. I could not sleep and felt very alone and isolated in Plymouth as it is not my area.I also did not like the people who were trying to hang around me and didn’t know what to do. As a‘MAPPA’ I have to be so careful as a I had so many licence conditions put on me. I felt stressed,alone, isolated and unsafe.On top of the anxiety I had other issues I was trying to resolve.Due to the Jobcentre lady being away when I was released I had to put my ‘care grant’ in late andmy benefits ran late as I had to deal with it myself. I had to get £56.00 crisis loan to eat and pay myservice charge for two wks and the benefits gave me grief for asking for that, they have a very rudemanner. I had loans before and I have always paid every penny back!I was trying to sort my bank account out and housing. I had my licence with my photo, but everythingwas an ID problem. I felt I was hitting my head against a brick wall. I’m not allowed abroad, sohave no passport and I don’t drive so have no driving licence, due to this I had ID issues. Afterbeing inside for 18 months I didn’t realise how hard it was outside and wasn’t prepared.The hostel wasn’t working out, trouble was starting as there was a lot of police attendance on ourstreet, fights, dealers, drunken brawls. Yes, probation put an alcoholic in the middle of three pubs,two off licences and a street known to the police for prostitution and dealing.I felt unsafe in the hostel and couldn’t sleep. I had probation on my back, hounding me. My oldprobation from Cornwall kept ringing me, even when I was shopping in ‘Sainsbury’s’ at 9 am askingif I felt like drinking. Well, I hadn’t and didn’t until that point. I felt more imprisoned than in prison.The next few weeks probation wouldn’t let me write each week to my partner as agreed with thesolicitor and were stressing me out, I felt I had no life on the out or support.
Justice Committee: Evidence Ev 87After three weeks, I hit the bottle, I couldn’t cope, I couldn’t get help, I knew I needed to comeback to prison to get away from the hostel, ‘S’ and get help for my anxiety as it was out of control.Due to the ‘Under 35’ Housing Rule, which I didn’t know about, I saw no hope, no future of beingable to have a chance to rebuild my life. I think the ‘Under 35’ rule is a disgrace and will causemore street homeless—I had it, lost the plot and I walked down to the police station to get recalled.I had breached as I had drunk. My bags were packed and ready and two days later, I was back inEastwood until 15/9/12.This time, ‘DM’ a church lady from ‘M’ is trying to house me into their dry community. But due tothe ‘under 35’ Housing rule, Housing only pay £63 a week and she is struggling to find me a placeI can afford. It is still looking grim. She has voluntary work ready for me and daily support awayfrom addicts.So in a nutshell, I came back to prison to get well. I’m now on beta blockers for the anxiety andnew anti depressants to help me sleep. I feel a lot better.But when I go out in five weeks, I’ll have nothing again and yet again another battle with thebenefits, they don’t even give you time to adjust before calling you for a medical even when a doctortells them I was unfit to work for a few months due to my anxiety.I get really hope next time I get through it. I have not family support and if it wasn’t for ‘D’, ‘R’and ‘C’ for the church I would have no one.So I’m back in ‘EWP’ to get well, for the mo. That is my story briefly and I was just wondering ifyou could offer me any support as I’m trying to be organised this time so I do not fail.I feel probation are trying to set me up to fail.It would be good if you could give me any help or advice.”3.4 Starving hungry and freezing cold on the outside— “I just thought I’d write you a little letter to say thank you for all your support whilst I was in prisonI’m now home which I am glad about but also still really scared about what may happen with mylife on the out side I am living with my partner but am back to square one. No money, no food, Iam using candles for light as whilst I was in prison all my money got stopped so I am living onnothing at all as your aware I haven’t got any family to help me out due to the life I have choosefor so many years. ……. I have been out since the 8th of April its now the 13th and haven’t touchedany drugs and have just been trying really hard to be a better person I need my family back in mylife. Id also like to thank you for trying to get me a grant for when I got out of jail but I got thegrant form on the Wednesday and was going home on the Friday so didn’t have long enough to getit all done it would of really helped me but even though I never managed to get it you have still youhave still helped me mentally. I have made an appointment for a new claim. Its not till the 21st ofthis month so I don’t know what Im going to do till then. I have asked my Probation Officer forsome vouchers to get some food shopping and some gas + electricity but they said they don’t dothat. I cant understand why they cant help me they say they are hear to help us women when we getout of prison but yet they don’t. I haven’t got a penny and am sitting in a flat with no Hot water,heating electric or food but don care. It gives me no option apart from going to commit a crimewhich I really don’t wont to do I really wont to turn my life around but am starving hungry andfreezing cold I have been going to my local Church to keep warm in the day till they close.”— “Why more is not being done to ensure housing on release. Why it is so difficult to get appointmentwith OMO—I appreciated they are pushed to the brink with workloads, should there not be moreOMO supervisors in situ in prisons. Why more money is not spent in providers such as WIP +Newbridge.”4. Some Questions the Women would like the Committee to ask the GovernmentQ.1 Why so many women especially single parents are given custodial sentences for minor crimes costing thetaxpayer thousands instead of community sentences?Q.2 Why are male prison officers able to work with vulnerable women (eg domestic abuse victims etc) whenthis is intimidating and often humiliating for women?Q.3 Would you put it to the Government that heroin withdrawal need to be looked into, methodone and subotexis a tradeable commodity.Q.4 I am IPP and I’m five and a half years over tariff, is there any new news or information about IPPs rottingin prison?Q.5 Why are pregnant women still handcuffed?Q.6 Why more is not being done to ensure housing on release?Q.7 Why isn’t there a specialist service for women being told they are losing their children, when they aregoing into custody?
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