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<p>There are <ins class="ministerial">2,489 unreleased IPP</ins> <del class="ministerial">10,018
IPP</del> prisoners, of which <ins class="ministerial">46</ins> <del class="ministerial">344</del>
are women. We know that when coming into contact with the criminal justice system,
some women choose not to disclose that they have children. Data is therefore not currently
collected on numbers of prisoners with children (whether that be total numbers of
children or dependent children).</p><p> </p><p>Our Female Offender Strategy is committed
to improving outcomes for women at all stages of the justice system, and this includes
supporting those who have children. We know that female prisoners are more likely
than male prisoners to be a primary carer and imprisoned mothers are more likely to
be living with their children prior to custody – around 60% of women compared with
about 45% of men in prison who have children. Figures from a 2015 data matching exercise
with the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Work and Pensions showed that
between 24% and 31% of all female offenders were estimated to have one or more child
dependents.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the impact that imprisonment of a parent can
have on families. That is why we have asked Lord Farmer to continue his work on the
importance of family ties by conducting a further review into female offenders in
custody and the community. Lord Farmer is expected to report his findings to Ministers
shortly.</p>
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