This comprehensive briefing from the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) and Women in Prison (WiP) examines the accommodation needs of women involved with the criminal justice system and the complexities around their accessing safe and suitable housing.
From the beginning, the briefing highlights the particular shortage of housing for female offenders with children, and the difficulties a lack of housing brings for women with caring responsibilities. It goes on to consider lack of housing as a driver to offending, the impact of remand and short sentences on maintaining housing, and the varying approaches and availability of housing for homeless female offenders across different Local Authorities. The report considers the housing needs and challenges of women offenders with particular needs from mental health to domestic abuse. Of particular interest to Barnardo's i-HOP members, is the section 'Women as mothers/care-givers' on pages 13 - 14. This acknoweldges the high numbers of women in prison who are mothers, and the low numbers of children who are able to stay in the family home when their mother is imprisoned. Women leaving prison often struggle to regain custody of their children due to lack of suitable housing, yet in many Local Authroities they are regarded as single on release from prison if they don't have custody of their children. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for different sectors. Particularly child-focused ones include: Local authorities should: - Take particular account of a woman's housing needs where she has children. Prisons and probation services should: - Provide housing services as a core element of a woman's rehabilitation programme, including liaison with housing services in a woman's place of residence, and support to enable women to sustain a tenancy or apply for housing. These services should be expedited for women on short sentences, and for women with children.
Read this open-access report on the housing needs of women involved in the criminal justice system and their children below:
