Too many women in prison should not be there at all
4 min read
Self-harm in women’s prisons has reached shocking new heights, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
One in three women in custody are self-harming – a rate eight times higher than in men’s prisons – despite women making up just four per cent of the prison population. These statistics paint a stark picture of distress, mental ill-health and unmet needs.
This is not an isolated crisis, nor is it new. It is the result of years of systemic failure to address the root causes of women’s imprisonment and the glaring inadequacies of the prison environment itself.
A new report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Time to care: what helps women cope in prison?, offers further insight. Inspectors visiting four women’s prisons found that basic dignity and care were lacking. Women reported struggling to access clothing that fits, facilities to wash their underwear, or meaningful activities to engage in. The report points to failures to support contact with loved ones. Many went months without in-person visits and faced too many barriers to maintaining family contact.
These frustrations were not minor inconveniences – they were among the top reasons women gave for self-harming. In some cases, women hurt themselves to get the attention of prison staff who are too overstretched to help women other than those most acutely in need.
I heard first-hand how these issues manifest in daily life during a recent visit to HM Prison Styal with the national charity Women in Prison. Women spoke of hearing screaming throughout the night, the constant sound of banging doors, and the ways they try to care for each other in the absence of adequate mental health provision.
Rachel, a mother of two, told me about her traumatic past and struggles with substance misuse. Stacey shared how she was unable to access mental health support in the community, a failure she says led to her offending. These stories reinforce a simple but painful truth: prison does not address the reasons women end up there – it often makes their situation worse.
Sixteen years ago, I led an independent government review into mental ill-health and learning disabilities in the criminal justice system. Among many things, my report found too many people with mental health needs were ending up in prison because they had not received appropriate support and assessment in the community.
Significant progress has been made. Mental health liaison and diversion services have been established across the country, supporting the police and the judiciary to determine whether diversion into community services is an appropriate option. But the core problem remains: too many women in prison should not be there at all.
The numbers are telling: 76 per cent of women in prison report having a mental health problem. Most are serving short sentences that do little more than disrupt their lives and make rehabilitation harder. Instead of receiving support, they are locked in cells for hours on end, their distress escalating behind closed doors.
We have seen countless inquiries, reviews and reports reach the same conclusion: prison is not the answer for the vast majority of women in custody. Yet, year after year, the system persists, and the harm continues.
The solutions are clear. We must invest in mental health services to intervene before women reach crisis point; expand community-based alternatives to custody that provide real opportunities for support and rehabilitation; and commit to ending the unnecessary imprisonment of women once and for all.
The recently announced Women’s Justice Board, with its focus on reducing the prison population, the current independent sentencing review, and the Mental Health Bill before Parliament all present huge opportunities to get this right.
We cannot allow another decade to pass before meaningful change is enacted. If we are serious about justice, safety and dignity, then we must act now.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House's morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.
