“Why do we bother with women offenders?” Tony Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, posed this question to Soroptimists at SI South Lancashire’s summer Programme Action meeting.
Women as mothers, but in prison – their children may be put in care (and may remain there long after the offender is released). Women as tenants, but in prison – they may lose their home.
Women in the Criminal Justice System are frequently victims (through abuse, addiction, debt, etc) therefore dealing with mental health issues is key to any support that can be offered. But the provision of effective mental health services is patchy.
Tony explained that Greater Manchester is trying to give the Courts a choice, a credible choice, when it comes to sentencing women to short prison sentences of up to 3 months. Instead, women can be given community-based punishments. So far women’s centres have dealt with over 500 women who are supervised in rehabilitation programmes. The centres are also used by women who have not committed a crime but who may be at risk.
The social and economic benefits of community-based punishments and support are seen as huge. Crucially, women victims can access help to tackle the reasons for their behaviour. Common sense would suggest this can be a low-cost way of preventing re-offending, keeping families together, and reducing demand on health and local authority services.
If this can work in Greater Manchester, it can surely work elsewhere? Tony Lloyd’s presentation prompted a raft of questions from the floor.
Each Police and Crime Commissioner is elected by local people and is accountable for how crime and community safety is tackled throughout the region. Greater Manchester’s website provides updates on the Commissioner’s work.
Postscript: The Commissioner took a great interest in Regional President Margaret’s update on the Nepal earthquakes and on the work of the Soroptimists in Kathmandu. He generously donated his speaker fee for the day to the appeal.