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

Women offenders: after the Corston Report 65Foreign National Prisoners167. According to the most recent statistics from the Ministry of Justice there are just over600 foreign national women in prison, representing approximately 16% of the femaleprison population. 343 Baroness Corston told us that she particularly regretted not havinghad sufficient time to specifically consider female foreign national prisoners (FNPs). 344 LizHogarth saw the limited attention given to the needs of FNPs as an example of the absenceof strategy and monitoring arrangements: “[...] there is no longer a foreign nationalstrategy within the women’s estate, and that helped previously to keep people focused onthe needs. There could well be slippage happening. Foreign national coordinators inprisons may be good, but, if there is no questioning from the centre and NOMS to makesure that it really is happening, then it becomes unknown.” 345 She, along with theDetention Advice Service and the Prison Reform Trust, called for a national strategy for themanagement of foreign national women in the justice system, including those held inprison 346168. Nick Hardwick characterised the needs of foreign national women as the same as forother women prisoners but exacerbated, for example, as a result of: the distance ofseparation from their families, which tend to be larger, with the expense of calling abroad(foreign national prisoners are limited to having one free five-minute telephone call amonth in lieu of visits); language difficulties; and their expectations of prison. 347 Forexample, the limited use of interpretation facilities, and lack of access to translated printedmaterials can act as a significant barrier to understanding of and engagement with theprison regime – including participation in education, training and employment activities –and this can result in foreign national prisoners feeling isolated, depressed, and evenunsafe. 348169. We were encouraged to hear that closer links had been forged between the UK BorderAgency and prisons resulting in some improvement in rates of processing deportationcases. 349 Nevertheless, our witnesses highlighted several areas in which there was more tobe done. FPWP Hibiscus, which estimated that they work with about 35% to 40% offoreign national women, find that a lot of them go on to win their cases againstdeportation. In the process, because the system is so lengthy and so complicated, we heardthat women experience a number of stress factors, including increased suicidal ideation,increased depression and low mood, for example, as a result of trying to deal withimmigration issues, including perhaps having their children in care, whilst incarcerated,and beyond tariff. 350 Unlike in immigration removal centres, where detainees have accessto the Detention Duty Advice scheme, there is no coordinated provision of immigration343 Ministry of Justice, Offender management statistics quarterly, prison population tables, March 2013344 Q 10345 Ibid.346 Q 11347 Q 234. See also Ev w23348 Ev w23349 Ev 103350 Qq 175–177