Women in Prison respond to HMPPS Inspection reports

Reports released this week highlight inconsistencies and inadequate support in both prison and the probation service for women in England and Wales. These findings highlight a lack of safety, inadequate support, and insufficient access to services for women in custody, alongside inconsistent and under-resourced probation interventions tailored to women’s needs.

• A report released Tuesday 18 March 2025 from HM Inspectorate of Probation found that too few staff, with too little training managing too many cases is leading to insufficient and inconsistent provision across England and Wales.
  
• The inspection also found that there are interventions which are tailored to women’s needs, but they aren’t widely implemented.

• HM Inspectorate of Prisons also released a report into HMP Styal, a women’s prison in the North of England.
  
• The inspection highlighted concerns about limited staffing, high levels of self-harm, high levels of positive drug testing, most women released homeless or without sustainable housing, and too many vulnerable and mentally unwell women in custody because of a lack of suitable services in the community.
  

“We do not need another inspection report to tell us that the system is broken. From reports of tech failures meaning women are needlessly recalled to prison because of ill-fitting tags, to galling reports of women being handcuffed while in labour, and the deeply saddening self-inflicted deaths in women’s prisons.

When do we say enough is enough? It's time for urgent action, and not more words.

The inspection reports reinforce what we already know: the criminal justice system harms women and does little to address the root causes of offending.

Women are too often swept into the criminal justice system because of poverty, homelessness, mental ill-health, and domestic abuse. Instead of being criminalised, they need specialist support that meets their needs.

With high levels of self-harm, substance misuse and women being released from prison into homelessness, women are not safe in prison and are set up to fail when they come back into the community.

It is also highly concerning to see the numbers of mentally unwell women in custody because of a lack of suitable services in the community. Prison is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric care, and its use in these cases is unacceptable.

We welcome the government’s commitment to reducing the women’s prison population through the Women’s Justice Board, which is set to publish its strategy this spring. To achieve meaningful change, we urgently need a robust, effective probation service that is well-resourced, well-trained, and responsive to women’s needs.

We also need to see an investment in tailored services that address housing, domestic abuse, mental and physical health, and welfare—ensuring women get the support they need to stay in their communities and out of the criminal justice system.”

ENDS

• Women in Prison (WIP) is a national charity that delivers support for women affected by the criminal justice system in prisons, in the community and through our Women's Centres. We campaign to end the harm caused to women, their families and our communities by imprisonment.
• HM Inspectorate of Prisons released a report into HMP Styal, Tuesday 18th March 2025
• HM Inspectorate of Probation released its annual report for 2024, Tuesday 18th March 2025