Government launches first
ever National service framework for female offenders
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (044/08) issued by The Government News Network on 30
May 2007
Ministerial
Champion for Women in the Criminal Justice System, Maria Eagle MP,
today launched a framework setting out the national strategy for
delivering services to female offenders.
The National Service Framework for Women Offenders lays out the
Government's strategy for addressing the specific needs of
female offenders and represents a significant step forward in the
commitments made in the Government's response to Baroness
Corston's report last year.
The Framework is intended to deliver the Government's
high-level vision for how services should be delivered to female
offenders and will be used by all commissioners and providers who
have a responsibility for delivering these services. It will be
used as the basis for specifying the exact size, cost and nature
of provision in order to deliver upon these priorities.
Maria Eagle MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the
Ministry of Justice said:
"This Framework is the first of its kind and will put in
place a sustainable system to deliver a co-ordinated approach to
addressing the needs of female offenders coming through the
criminal justice system.
"It is essential that we design and deliver services to
ensure that women have equal opportunities to address their
offending. The vulnerabilities experienced by many women in the
criminal justice system, including mental health problems, drug
misuse, sexual and domestic abuse and concerns about their
children, cannot be ignored.
"I am confident that this document will bring us one step
closer to fulfilling our aim to ensure that women who come into
contact with the criminal justice system are treated appropriately
to protect the public and reduce re-offending whilst also meeting
their specific and individual needs."
The Framework will be supported by the publication of an updated
version of the National Probation Service 'Good Practice
Guide on Delivering Effective Services for Women Offenders in the
Community.' This guide, along with the recently published
Prison Service Gender Specific Standards, provides more detailed
operational guidance for prison and probation staff delivering
services for women on the ground.
Notes to Editors
1. Baroness Corston's Report on Women with Particular
Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System was published on 13
March 2007.
2. The Government published its response to the report on 6
December 2007.
3. The National Service Framework can be found on the Ministry of
Justice website - http://www.justice.gov.uk
4. An update on the Government's progress on the other
recommendations made by Baroness Corston will be made to
Parliament later in June.
http://www.justice.gov.uk
ENDS