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 \u2013 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>
We know that when coming into contact with the criminal justice system, some women choose not to disclose that they have dependent children for a number of reasons. As such, iIt is difficult to create an accurate estimate of the number of women who choose not to disclose and to provide appropriate targeted support. However, we want all women to feel safe enough to disclose and are taking steps to encourage this, as outlined below. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that the National Probation Service\u2019s pre-sentence reports, which assist the court in making sentencing decisions, highlight the fact an offender has dependent children and supporting the roll out of the \u2018Safeguarding Children When Sentencing Mothers\u2019 training material developed by Dr Shona Minson.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4362", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Edward Argar"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Charnwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Edward Argar"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-12T17:38:40.987Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Females"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women who do not disclose that they have a dependant child before they receive a custodial sentence.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Richard Burgon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Richard Burgon"}
], "uin" : "187368"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1041321", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1041321/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Ministry of Justice does not collect this information. We do not record the reasons behind a crime and only collect information on the offence committed. There are a number of offences that someone can commit to support the drug use of someone else, including theft and drug related offences. There are further barriers to gaining this information as some women may not feel comfortable or safe to disclose this information.<\/p>
<\/p>
In June 2018, we published The Female Offender Strategy which set out a significant programme of work to deliver better outcomes for female offenders at all points of the justice system.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4362", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Edward Argar"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Charnwood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Edward Argar"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-01-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-01-21T17:12:43.983Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-01-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Females"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of female prisoners in England and Wales who committed an offence to support the drug use of someone else for which they received a prison sentence in each year since 2010.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Richard Burgon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Richard Burgon"} ], "uin" : "208343"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1087136", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1087136/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
There are 2,489 unreleased IPP<\/ins> <\/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 \u2013 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> 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>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4517", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Frazer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South East Cambridgeshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lucy Frazer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "true", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1087136/answer/previousversion/108105", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4517", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Frazer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South East Cambridgeshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lucy Frazer"}
}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-15T14:59:54.463Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
], "questionFirstMinisteriallyCorrected" : [{"_value" : "2019-04-23T09:20:12.51Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Females"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women in prison on a sentence of imprisonment for public protection that have children.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4120", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kate Green"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stretford and Urmston"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kate Green"}
], "uin" : "231458"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127090", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127090/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The number of women given a custodial sentence of less than and more than six months, at Magistrates and Crown courts, by offence and police force area in 2018 is published in the Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool at the following link:<\/p> https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802045/court-outcomes-by-PFA-2018.xlsx<\/a><\/p> <\/p> The requested data can be gathered by:<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The number of women given a custodial sentence less than and more than six months from each magistrates and Crown court in North Wales in 2018, with corresponding offence, is available in the attached tables.<\/p> <\/p> Our vision, as set out in our Female Offender Strategy, is to see fewer women coming into the criminal justice system and a greater proportion managed successfully in the community.<\/p> <\/p> There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study \u2018The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending\u2019 published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders.<\/p> <\/p> Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders\u2019 behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4362", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Edward Argar"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Charnwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Edward Argar"}
, "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127090/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "Copy of PQ 255285 tables.xlsx"}
, "title" : "Table"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "255285"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-23T14:09:07.787Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-05-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Females"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women were taken into immediate custody from (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts for sentences of (i) less than and (ii) more than six months for each offence classification in each police force area in England and Wales in 2018-19.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/533", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Hanson"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Delyn"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "David Hanson"}
], "uin" : "255282"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127091", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127091/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "10,018 IPP<\/del> prisoners, of which 46<\/ins> 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>