KATE DONEGAN GOVERNOR, HMP & YOI WOMEN OFFENDERS STRATEGY LEAD WOMEN OFFENDERS PROJECT LEAD FOR HMP INVERCLYDE AND EDINBURGH REGIONAL UNIT FOR WOMEN

BACKGROUND The Corston ReportHome Office2007 Female Offenders in the Criminal Justice System Equal Opportunities Committee – Scottish Government 2009 Cornton Vale Inspection Reports HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 2009 & 2011 Rules for the Treatment of Women prisoners and non- custodial Measures for Women Offenders – “The Bangkok Rules” United Nations2010 Women in Custody – a Consultation SPS2012 Commission on Women Offenders Dame Eilish Angiolini2012

THE FEMALE POPULATION IS CHARACTERISED BY; Poor mental health-including anxiety, depression, personality disorder, learning disability, PTSD, trauma, psychopathy, autism and Aspergers Addictions-drugs and prescription medication and alcohol Abuse-physical, sexual, emotional childhood neglect, victimisation and sex working

THE FEMALE POPULATION IS CHARACTERISED BY; Dysfunctional family backgrounds-Early attachment deficits, single parenthood, economic and social deprivation, the impact of mental health and addictions problems Poor employment and educational attainment -Truancy, low paid/casual work, few or no qualifications

THE FEMALE POPULATION IS CHARACTERISED BY; Single parents/primary carers -economic and social deprivation, dependant children, unstable relationships, children in care or removed permanently Generally Poor coping skills, a sense of anger about life and its challenges, poor relationships, lack of self-esteem, prevailing socio-economic conditions.

COMPARED TO MALE OFFENDERS, WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO; Be a lower risk to public safety Be in prison for crimes of dishonesty Be placed on remand Have higher rates of mental health problems Have drug problems – including prescribed medication Have histories of physical and sexual abuse and victimisation Have dependant children

NUMBERS Women account for circa 6% of the total prison population Currently, the breakdown is; Convicted adults 335 Remand Convicted Young Offenders 16 Remand Young Offenders 17 TOTAL 33 OVERALL TOTAL458

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Sentence history 48% had been on remand 1 – 5 times 51% had served a sentence between 1 – 5 times Only some 30% of women on remand go on to receive custodial sentences. Education 75% left school under the age of 16 Employment 84% were unemployed at the time of their offence

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Influences on Offending 60% said they were drunk at the time of their offence 65% said they were under the influence of drugs 77% always or often embarked on a course of action without thinking 63% often or never thought about the pros and cons before breaking the law

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Family Life 69% had one or two children 53% of the children were under 10 57% considered themselves to be single parents 42% had struggled financially in the community 40% had experienced childcare difficulties 49% relied on social welfare

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Relationships 53% had a partner with a criminal record 41% had committed a crime with their partner 62% had friends involved in criminal activity 48% thought that these connections had contributed to their offending In Care 39% had been in care 31% were in care at the age of 16

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Coping and Problem Solving 53% had committed a crime to solve a problem 54% said this was normal 50% used alcohol to cope 60% used drugs to escape difficulties 53% rated their coping skills as poor or very poor

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Violence 65% had been convicted of a violent offence 53% had used a weapon 22% had perpetrated violence as a gang member Aggression 78% struggled with emotions such as guilt and anxiety 71% expressed their anger through shouting and verbal aggression 53% actually hit out physically

SOME STATISTICS (JULY 2012) Drugs 85% used drugs at some point in their lives 39% were still using 73% had started to take drugs by the time they were 15 65% were using once or twice a day Alcohol 47% reported drinking once or twice a day before going to prison 70% had started to drink by the age of 15 72% had been drinking for more than 5 year

THE ANGIOLINI REPORT REMIT To consider the evidence on how to improve outcomes for women in the criminal justice system To make recommendations for practical measures (in this Parliament) to reduce their reoffending Reverse the recent increase in the female population

THE ANGIOLINI REPORT Made 37 recommendations – 6 are directly related to women in custody HMP & YOI Cornton Vale should be replaced with a smaller specialist prison for those women serving a statutory defined long term sentence and those who present a significant risk to the public. The prison should include; Meaningful and consistent work, sufficient premises to allow that to take place and enable all women prisoners to build skills for release and improve self esteem and mental health

THE ANGIOLINI REPORT A medical centre with adequate space for group work and individual appointments to address physical and mental health problems A separate unit for young women A purpose-built mother and baby unit A family-friendly visitor centre with an outdoor play area for children A Community Integration Unit based on the model in place at HMP Aberdeen to help women access community services and support networks prior to their release

THE SPS RESPONSE: Chief Executive, Colin McConnell as women offenders lead on the SPS Board Consultation with 325 external stakeholders plus staff and prisoner events Announcement of a purpose built female Establishment at Inverclyde and a regional unit for women at HMP Edinburgh – to be completed by 2016 Appointment of a national steering group for the improvement of services to women offenders

THE SPS RESPONSE: Appointment of a Project Team to;  specify the operational requirements for the prisons  prepare detailed design briefs  design management and performance structures for each  appoint and train staff  provide plans for transferring women into Inverclyde and Edinburgh  provide a decommissioning and closure plan for Cornton Vale

THE SPS RESPONSE: Architects appointed A further 2 day consultation with external stakeholders, architects and SPS staff to explore design elements and service delivery imperatives Women’s Strategy is being subjected to a root and branch review Research on international evidence-based best practice in the custodial care of women undertake to inform design, strategy and policy

THE SPS RESPONSE: Subject experts to be consulted on design, interventions and best practice in all fields Project milestones are in place

CORNTON VALE: PHYSICAL CHANGES Complete refurbishment of four house blocks Creation of a family centre Refurbished gymnasium Creation of a small market garden Increase in purposeful activity Major refurbishment of the Learning Centre and library Updating of the hair salon External painting Significant refurbishment of the remand facility

CORNTON VALE: PHYSICAL CHANGES Reception redecorated 100 women temporarily transferred to HMYOI Polmont Video conferencing facilities expanded – set up to a standard for court hearings Prisoners visit are upgraded, redecorated and a new children’s play area created Visitors’ waiting area refurbished Main entrance to be remodelled beginning early June to improve security and to provide a more suitable reception area

CORNTON VALE : OTHER CHANGES Provision of mentalisation training for staff Staff attendance patterns under review to make best use of the staff resource Child protection training being rolled out Women in custody training provided to all new recruits and a modified version for existing staff College working on an SVQ in women’s offending Professor Kevin Power beginning a 2 year research study on trauma to include an EMDR intervention

CORNTON VALE : OTHER CHANGES Two new posts created to ensure that all potentially vulnerable women are identified, receive appropriate interventions and are linked to services in the community on release New external placements post created Dr Alex Quinn to lead a team which will assist staff in dealing with challenging personality disordered women and those with significant behavioural issues

CORNTON VALE : OTHER CHANGES Change Fund to finance a national mentoring scheme for women leaving prison SPS have fully funded an Aberlour Children’s worker post for 12 months Clinical aromatherapy and art therapy initiatives funded and in place

WHAT NEXT? Nurture what we already do well Innovate and test new approaches leading up to 2016 Develop and grow our links with community and criminal justice partners Undertake a review of current routines and regime, discarding the ‘aye been’ and reinvigorating our menu of interventions and opportunities Create gender responsive services – not modifications intended for men

WHAT NEXT? Explore interventions which will facilitate transformational change in the women in our care Think creatively and outside the box Focus on evidence-based practice Research and evaluate

QUESTIONS?