Too many female abuse victims are locked up, says minister as BBC visits women’s prison

Tina was 16 when she said she was forced to marry.

He describes what followed as decades of “brutal” abuse, “including being punched in the face several times.”[and] “An incident where my head hit the wall.”

This resulted in divorce – after which his family broke off contact with him – and a spiral into drug and alcohol abuse and depression.

Now in her 40s, Tina (not her real name) is serving a six-year prison sentence for importing class A drugs.

“I made bad choices and I regret the choices I made,” he says, “but honestly I feel grateful that I was arrested when I did.”

Tina is one of 243 women incarcerated at HMP Send, a women’s prison in rural Surrey.

Most women here are sentenced for non-violent crimes, and staff say the majority have likely experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives.

Tina says HMP Send staff have helped her “become a better version” of herself.

But he believes much of what he did in prison may have happened in the community.

“I feel like maybe my punishment was longer than it should have been,” he says.

The government says it wants to send fewer non-violent offenders to prison with shorter sentences.

Almost three-quarters of those incarcerated in 2020 were being held for non-violent crimes, and many of them are vulnerable. Women seem to be the primary focus in this regard.

Speaking to the BBC, Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said that there were too many women victims of domestic violence in the system.

But these women are criminals, and some of them have little sympathy for their plight; They broke the law.

I have visited many men’s prisons for the BBC, but this was the first prison for women. The differences are stark.

The long drive to HMP Send – about six miles from Woking – leads to a frightening entrance. Coils of barbed wire lie on high cream-colored metal fences.

However, once we enter through the main door, the atmosphere changes quickly. It looks more like a college campus, with patches of grass occasionally cutting through the cell blocks.

It is smaller than the prisons I have visited before; There are hundreds more inmates in Victorian men’s prisons.

Since the rows of cells are longer, criminals can climb to higher places and see other cells. The sound level here is also lower. There is less shouting, banging and clanging, and fewer voices raised in anger.

The women are incarcerated in six cell blocks. The seriousness of the crimes they commit varies from murder and fraud to theft and prostitution.

Twenty-five-year-old Behnaz is serving a five-year sentence for possession of a firearm. Her hair and make-up are not what you would expect from a prisoner.

“I don’t believe prison is the place to rehabilitate,” he says. “You leave prison with more problems than when you arrived, with the trauma of being in this environment, with the things you’ve seen and heard.”

But he adds: “There are parts where I take 100% responsibility for my crime, so being in prison is something for me that I have made peace with and am okay with.”

There are 3,477 women in prisons in England and Wales; This accounts for only 4% of the total prison population.

About 72% were serving sentences for nonviolent crimes in 2020, according to the Prison Reform Foundation.

According to the Ministry of Justice, female criminals are often vulnerable; More than half of women in prison report being victims of domestic violence.

Tanya Marsden, housing inspection officer at HMP Send, says: “When it comes to male staff, it can be a huge trigger for some women…trying to build that trust with some of these prisoners is quite difficult sometimes. But what we excel at is showing them that we’re here.” [for them]”

HMP Send is one of only a few prisons in England to have a dedicated program for those suffering brain injuries resulting from domestic violence.

The charity Brainkind works with women here – offering rehabilitation sessions and teaching skills to help them cope with their conditions, which may have resulted from non-fatal strangulation or other forms of physical violence.

Research reveals that a prisoner’s crime may be partially attributable to acquired brain injuries, which impair judgment and distort decision-making.

Lord Timpson told the BBC he had encountered “too many women” victims of domestic violence in prison, describing them as “black and blue”.

“I don’t believe prison is the right place for them. They need to be in a safe place, preferably with their children and away from violence.”

He said there will always be a need for a prison for violent criminals, but policymakers need to “follow the evidence.”

She adds: “And the evidence shows that many women go to prison for short sentences, their children are put into care and they commit more crimes when they leave prison. What we need to do is reduce the rate of re-offending.”

New laws expected next year will mean a reduction in short-term prison sentences and more community-based sentencing.

The legislation is expected to significantly reduce the number of women incarcerated, with 16% of women sentenced to 12 months or less in prison for their crimes by mid-2024.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said more than half of crime was committed by 9 per cent of offenders and the government must ensure these “hyper-prolific criminals” remain behind bars regardless of their gender.

“But there are also situations where public protection must be balanced,” he said. “Alternative forms of sentencing will often be much more appropriate for pregnant women, those with young children or those who are themselves victims of domestic abuse.”

This costs taxpayers more than £52,000 per prisoner each year, so supporters of the government’s stance say there is a net gain in saving money by not jailing them in the first place.

However, it cannot be said that non-custodial sentences are a panacea. Critics of the government say a lack of support services and rehabilitation programs can lead to reoffending.

Some probation officers privately expressed concerns about whether they could provide the support women with complex needs would need in the community; Workloads are said to be already at maximum.

Some prisoners talk about its deterrent effect. One of them asked the question: “Will women be more likely to commit crimes or be forced to commit crimes if they know they won’t be jailed?”

It is clear that the government must address these issues in depth to avoid the revolving door of crime, conviction and imprisonment.

The charity Women in Prison says 56 per cent of women serving a prison sentence will reoffend within a year.

Alida is serving a prison sentence for serious fraud offenses and believes this is the right place for him.

While some women in prison throw up their hands and take responsibility for their crime, others “blame someone else for it,” she says.

“There’s no smoke without fire, you know, and at the end of the day, I don’t think the system got it that wrong,” he says.