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

Women offenders: after the Corston Report 51 IntroductionOur inquiry1. Five years after the March 2007 publication of Baroness Corston’s report A review ofwomen with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system (hereafter “the CorstonReport”), which made a series of recommendations to drive improvement in the women'scriminal justice agenda, we decided to hold an inquiry to review progress and examinecurrent strategy and practice with respect to female offenders and those at risk ofoffending. In particular we sought to explore: The nature and effectiveness of the Ministry of Justice’s strategy for women offendersand those at risk of offending; The nature and effectiveness of Ministry of Justice governance structures for women’soffending; The extent to which work to address the multiple and complex needs of womenoffenders is integrated across Government; The extent to which the gender equality duty has become a lever for mainstream servicecommissioners —outside of the criminal justice system— to provide services whichtackle the underlying causes of female offending; The suitability of the women’s custodial estate and prison regimes; The volume, range, quality, and sustainability of community provision for femaleoffenders, including approved premises; The availability of appropriate provision for different groups of women offenders,including: under 18s, women with children, foreign nationals and black, asian andminority ethnic women, and those with mental health problems.2. We are grateful for the evidence we have received from a wide range of witnesses,including from Baroness Corston herself, women who were involved in the criminal justicesystem, the Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Inspectorates,probation trusts and prisons, women’s community projects, and other service providers.3. We begin our Report by revisiting the Corston Report and examining how itsrecommendations have influenced developments in policy and practice. We then considerthe Ministry of Justice’s approach to the issues that the Corston Report highlights,including their governance arrangements and strategic priorities, before finally makingsome observations about how progress can be made afresh in the context of theGovernment’s broader priorities in criminal justice and beyond.Overview of the Corston Report4. In 2006 Baroness Corston was commissioned by the Home Office to examine whatcould be done to avoid women with particular vulnerabilities ending up in prison,