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

16 Women offenders: after the Corston Reportand wanted to align a strategy with its plans for a “rehabilitation revolution”, and thereforewould publish its strategic objectives for women offenders in the New Year. 60 These weresubsequently published in March, three days before the Minister was due to give evidenceto us.32. Our witnesses were able to identify some ongoing strategic activity. 61 For example,some elements of the Government’s intentions towards women offenders were set out inthe revised good practice guidance document A Distinct Approach: A guide for workingwith women offenders, published by NOMS Women and Equalities Group in March 2012.Liz Hogarth observed that while there was no visible strategy—in the sense that nothinghad been produced in black and white —progress continued to be made. For example, shebelieved that there remained a commitment to women’s centres evidenced by the fact thatNOMS had continued to fund them. Nevertheless, she felt that in the absence of a stateddirection of travel and the framework for achieving it, “people out in the real world, in thefield”, including probation trusts, were not clear of the Government’s priorities. 6233. This was reflected in comments from the Probation Inspectorate, the Probation Chiefs’Association and Clinks. The Probation Inspectorate found during their joint inspection in2011 that the considerable work that was happening strategically was only just beginning tocascade down to an operational level within probation trusts, but that trusts had difficultyin maintaining momentum. 63 Liz Rijnenberg felt that the absence of the national women’steam in NOMS has led to a “standstill in the development of the strategy.” 64 Similarly CliveMartin suggested that strategic direction was important because “unless sentencers are keptaware of issues to do with who they are sentencing, the type of sentences they give and soon, it falls from their agenda. There has been no consistent leadership around this issue fora long time. We do not see it in training programmes for the judiciary, and we do not seecommunity alternatives to custody being promoted in the media.” 6534. In their written evidence the MoJ outlined the relevant work that they were doing withother departments including: the piloting of mental health and substance misuse liaisonand diversion services; the female offender personality disorder strategy; the developmentof intensive treatment options in the community for offenders with drug or mental healthproblems, including women-only services; the piloting of three drug recovery wings forshort-sentence, drug and alcohol-dependent prisoners; and funding for women’scommunity services that can be used as part of, or in conjunction with communitysentences. 66 The MoJ was also clear that any benefit to women at risk of offending would beincidental to its primary focus on those women who enter the criminal justice system, withwhom they have direct contact. 6760 Ev 9661 See for example Ev w16, Ev w19, Ev w41, Ev w104, Q 8 [Ms Hogarth]62 Q 863 Q 195, Ev 8064 Q 19565 Q 15266 Ev 9667 Ibid.