Inquiry on girls in the penal system

Revolving Doors has submitted a response to the independent inquiry on girls in the penal system, being undertaken by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the penal system.  The inquiry is being administered by the Howard League for Penal Reform and is co-chaired by Baroness Corston. The inquiry is examining evidence from a wide range of sources to investigate current responses by the Police and Courts, and to consider new approaches to working with this group to bring about a reduction in the number of girls in need from entering into the criminal justice system.

Our response draws on the findings from our work on a women-specific Financial Analysis Model as detailed in our report, Counting the Cost.  Interviews with service users of three women’s centres highlighted just how early multiple problems can begin to develop following highly traumatic childhoods experienced by many women within the "revolving doors group".  

Our Financial Analysis Model shows that, without effective support to address these multiple problems, the cost to the public purse rapidly escalates, and is particularly high at the point of intercept with the criminal justice system. Our response draws attention to the need to consider new financial approaches to recognise the differential savings and expenditure incurred by the different agencies providing support to women and girls with multiple needs in addressing their problems. The savings to the criminal justice system need to be considered in light of the increased costs to housing and support services, with the need for pooled budgets at the local level to reflect this.

We also draw on our work with the Transition to Adulthood Alliance to argue that young adults in contact with the criminal justice system experience particular challenges and needs and require a distinct approach. We underline the fact that transitions between children’s and adult services – in particular between the youth justice system and probation – present acute challenges to young adults and careful consideration should be given to the impact of these transitions on young adults.

You can download our response here.