Crime Solicitors

The Ministry of Justice has announced that four areas in England have been awarded funding to help more women turn away from crime.

Greater Manchester, Brighton, Norfolk, Surrey have been awarded nearly £200,000 in total, to help women in their communities address the underlying issues of crime which, if left unchecked, might lead to them becoming involved in crime and ending up in prison.

There are currently around 4,000 women in prison – and although women are much more likely to serve short sentences through having committed acquisitive rather than violent crimes, many have dependent children and also commit acts of self-harm in prison.

Research shows that many women at risk of offending also have complex needs – including a history of abuse, drug or alcohol issues, serious mental or physical health problems, or are struggling to find a home or a job.

Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice, Caroline Dinenage, said:

“I am determined to see fewer women falling into crime and even ending up in prison because they aren’t getting the right kind of support to address any underlying issues.

“I am delighted that we will be working closely with the communities of Greater Manchester, Brighton, Norfolk and Surrey, to develop new strategies to support women and get them off a pathway into crime at an earlier stage.

“Not only will this funding change the lives of more women and their families and give them a second chance to realise their potential, it will also cut crime and make our streets safer.

“The money will be used in these communities to put structures in place to assess and address the needs of these women at an early stage – and provide the kind of wraparound support that can make all the difference in diverting them from crime.

“The four areas will develop their own unique strategies which are best targeted to address the needs of women in their areas, working across local public and third sector organisations.

“The lessons learned from the approaches taken in these areas will be used to help other local areas around the country develop similar approaches, to reduce the number of women offending and re-offending.”

Out of 16 applications judged for funding, Greater Manchester, Brighton, Norfolk and Surrey won a total of £191,752 from the Government Equalities Office.

A further £10,000 was awarded to Wales to conduct research into the sentencing of female offenders in the area, in order to support further work to look at alternatives to custody, where appropriate.
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