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

Women offenders: after the Corston Report 27The development of a network of women’s centres61. In the course of her review Baroness Corston visited three women’s communitycentres: Calderdale, in Halifax, Asha in Worcester, and 218 in Glasgow. All had differentemphases and funding arrangements, but they were united, in the words of her Report, in:[...] their broad approach which is to treat each woman as an individual with her ownset of needs and problems. They recognise the impact that victimisation and isolationby disadvantage can have on a woman’s circumstances and behaviour; the shameand stigma that many women feel by a number of life experiences, not just beingconvicted of an offence but also mental illness or being a single parent. Perceptionsof being judged as a failure serve to reinforce disadvantage, isolation and socialexclusion. These women tend to concentrate their resources on their home andchildren. To lose these as a result of a prison sentence does enormous damage. Thesecentres seek to provide constructive and humane responses to many women whoneed a whole range of support from community-based services including bothpsychological therapy to aid personal development and practical assistance to helpthem develop economic prospects. They are primarily “women” not “offenders”. 124The Corston Report subsequently made a number of recommendations that put suchcentres at the heart of a programme of community support for women who offend or areat risk of offending. In particular it called for the development of a larger network ofcommunity centres in accordance with a centrally coordinated strategic national plan.Baroness Corston envisaged that women's centres should be used as referral centres forwomen who offend or are at risk of offending; as a means of diverting women from courtand police stations; as part of a package of measures for community sentences; and for thedelivery of probation and other programmes to provide a “real alternative to prison”.62. The Government accepted this recommendation and provided financial support forthe initial development of such a network. A range of models emerged and at the time webegan our inquiry there were over 30 projects. We heard from a number of women’scommunity projects themselves, as well as from Women’s Breakout, and we visited theInspire project in Northern Ireland. 125 Each project has developed a distinct approachtailored to local circumstances; yet, they also have much in common in serving a diversityof functions.63. We took oral evidence from two equally impressive women’s community projects:Anawim and the Swan Project. We were struck by the range of services that were providedat Anawim in Birmingham, both to punish—including: probation; community payback;courses designed to address offending behaviour, anger management, domestic violenceand drug awareness—and to support women who have offended, including: housing;issues with children and parenting courses; social services; and a crèche. It also providesprison in-reach services. Joy Doal described the rationale behind the one-stop-shop natureof the project and the impact this can have on compliance:124 The Corston Report, para 6.10125 See for example Ev w32, Ev 69, Ev w51, Ev w63, Ev w74, Ev 74, Ev w80, Ev w82, Ev 86, Ev w90