The Howard League for Penal Reform in England and Wales has set up an independent Commission on Sex in Prison which will conduct the first-ever review of sex in prisons in the UK. The Commission’s aim is to shine a light on this hidden issue and to present recommendations aimed at making prisons safer.
The independent Commission will examine three broad themes including consensual sex in prison, coercive sex in prison as well as healthy sexual development among young people in prison.
The Commission will hear evidence from a wide range of experts including prisoners, prison officers, former prisoners, academics, lawyers, sexual health organisations, charities who work with victims of sexual abuse and the families of those in prison.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) welcomed the establishment of the Commission as a positive development since little information is currently available on the issue of sex in prison.
Click here to read an IPRT press release
Click here to read more on the Commission
In other news, the UK Ministry of Justice last month published research, Strategic objectives for female offenders, which outlines Justice Minister Helen Grant’s key objectives and priorities for female offenders. The research emphasises the need for proper punishment, coupled with effective rehabilitation, to turn women away from crime.
The priorities outlined include:
Minister Helen Grant will chair a new advisory board for female offenders which will look at overhauling community sentences to offer credible alternatives to custody.
Click here to read the report in full
Click here to read Helen Grant MP’s written ministerial statement about women in the penal system.
Meanwhile, another report on women in custody was published last month in the UK. The report, State of the Estate: Report on the women’s custodial estate 2011-2012, assesses UK Government compliance with the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) . The Bangkok rules were developed because of the international recognition that the needs of female prisoners are different from those of male prisoners
The report reveals a significant gap between policy and practice in the implementation of the Bangkok rules in the UK. The report also looks at mental health issues affecting women in prisons and reveals a lack of structured care plans to deal with needs of female prisoners with mental health issues.
The report includes the writings of women in custody describing their daily experience in each of the prisons.
Click here to read the report in full