PRESS RELEASE: Women in Prison responds to the Ministry of Justice funding announcement

Today, Saturday 23 January, the UK Government is announcing funding for thirty-eight organisations, which will receive almost £2 million, alongside a commitment to build 500 new places for women in prison.

The Ministry of Justice is also pledging to work alongside other Government departments to more effectively support vulnerable women in addressing the issues which can lead them to commit crimes.

CEO of Women in Prison, Dr Kate Paradine, says:

“This pledge and funding are just the start, and a far cry from what is needed in order to provide stability for women who face the sharp end of our society. As we see a rise in domestic violence, ill mental health and poverty due to coronavirus, women’s centres are an anchor that stop women being swept up into crime.

"While 500 new prison places are being built, women's centres across the country are facing a funding cliff edge in April. This directly contradicts the Government's own strategy and flies in the face of all the evidence which shows the need for community support in order to address the root causes of offending. The upcoming Budget is a chance for Government to get this right, invest in hope and end the harm of prison, by securing the future of local women’s specialist services.”

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NOTES TO EDITORS

CEO of Women in Prison Dr Kate Paradine is available for interviews.

For media enquiries, please contact Molly Fleming at [email protected], Phone: 07860 695 752

Read the case for women’s centres here and for key facts on women in prison here.

Women in Prison (WIP) is a national charity that delivers support for women affected by the criminal justice system in prisons. We work in prisons, the community and ‘through the gate’, supporting women leaving prison. We run three Women’s Centres and ‘hubs’ for services in Manchester, Surrey and London) and campaign to end the harm caused to women, their families and our communities by imprisonment

See www.womeninprison.org.uk for more information. Twitter: @WIP_live