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Sacro’s Chief Executive Tom Halpin responding to the publication of the Commission on Women Offenders Report today said:
I welcome the findings of the Commission and its recognition of the reality for women in Scotland’s criminal justice system.
We have had a number of reports that repeatedly highlight the unacceptable numbers of women held in our prisons and the fact that, despite the best efforts of the Scottish Prison Service, Cornton Vale Prison is not currently fit for purpose. Quite simply this must change.
Remember many of these women do not pose a serious risk of harm to society. For them, offending is part of a chaotic life and custody is not an effective sanction to stop them reoffending.
Prison does not deal with the complexity of their situation. They have mental health, addictions and housing problems that lie at the heart of their offending.
The report makes clear that we must stop sending these women to prison. We need to have consistently available community based alternatives to custody across Scotland: services that are tailored to the complex needs of these women. Services that empower these women, that build their confidence to change their lives. Services that include supported accommodation specifically for women offenders, which Sacro considers are vital.
Imprisoning women has a devastating impact on wider families and that impact means the next generation may go on to offend.
We need outreach services built around these women. Services that will remain with them during crisis, services that will challenge and impact on chaotic offending while supporting their reintegration to communities.
Sacro welcomes the work of Dame Elish Angiolini and the Commission and urges the Scottish Government to respond decisively in support of the recommendations made, to seize this as the opportunity to lead Scotland into a new era in the way it treats women in our criminal justice system.
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