Women in Prison

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fig2 Source: Noblet, Women in prison, Internet journal of Criminology 2008

- Mental health problems

60% of sentenced female prisoners in Ireland had a history of mental illness[14] in a 2005 study. This same report also found that 38.7 % of female prisoners have self harmed in the past (Ireland statistics also). A 2013 longitudinal survey of prisoners in the UK found that female prisoners reported poorer mental health than both male prisoners and women in the general public. Prison is, without a doubt, not the appropriate place nor environment for treating mental health issues, and would surly exacerbate the problem. This is a serious problematic issue for women prisoners and those especially with complex needs.

- High risk of homelessness

The relationship between crime and homelessness is strong and multifaceted.[15] A random sample survey conducted in 2005 found that of 50 women prisoners, 33% were found to be homeless on committal to prison. The findings here suggest that homeless women may be at greater risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system than women who are not homeless. This is a very complex matter for women. For some, originally being homeless can lead to crime, whereas for others, being released from prison leads to homelessness[16]. As women are the more vulnerable of the population, this seeks to be a bigger problem for them. Some of these women may also face homelessness after their time in prison if for example they have lost local authority housing or had family relationships breakdown while imprisoned. In a qualitative study conducted in 2012 by Mayock and Sheridan[17], 11 of 60 homeless women interviewed were found to have been incarcerated. These interviewees reported long histories of moving between prison and homelessness. This issue, in correlation with these figures is quite disturbing and should be addressed sooner rather than later.

- High rate of drug dependency

As we are aware, there is countless evidence that indicates the high rate of drug dependency among women offenders. Roughly one quarter of incarcerated women in 2010[18] were on a methadone maintenance programme. A recent UK survey found that women were more likely to have engaged in Class A drugs in the few weeks before custody, and also reported that there offending was to support their own or someone else’s drug dependency[19].

- Domestic violence and abuse

According to the Corston report, in the UK up to 50 % of women in prison report experience of domestic violence. The little evidence available suggests that women offenders are more likely to have experiences domestic and sexual violence than the general female population. The harsh reality is that the police fail to recognise that abuse often lies behind women’s offending[20], leading us back to the fact that women offenders themselves are often the victims.

- Prison as a ‘respite’ for females and the consequences of this

A significant amount of research has shown that many females will use prison as a respite, a break, a temporary ‘home’. In my personal opinion, this issue shows a massive failure to society. Prison should not be viewed as a temporary break or a place that deems to be better than anywhere else in society. Again in Mayock and Sheridan’s study based on homeless women, it was found that for homeless women, prison could serve as a respite from life on the streets, stating that it gave them a ‘break’ from funding their addiction and finding a place to stay[21]. A 2013 study conducted by McHugh[22] found that some women found prison as a ‘relief’ to the situations that they found themselves in prior to their arrest.

The fact that women see prison in this light can create many consequences, especially the overuse of remand for women. Women offenders, as opposed to men, are more likely to be remanded to prison for offences that are not likely to lead to a custodial sentence[23]. In mid 2012, almost one quarter of the female prison population in Ireland was on remand[24]. This high rate of remand leads to many further consequences, such as a possible loss of local authority housing, consequences for the children of those imprisoned, and no doubt will impact on the female’s employment prospects.

We can clearly see above the complex needs of women prisoners. We must not forget that many women offenders are victims themselves. Overlooking this factor would be similar to overlooking the needs of any other victim, and this should simply not be the case.

- Prison- a different environment for women as opposed to men- female prisoners cannot cope with the pains of imprisonment

Every prisoner has a different view of their time spent in prison. We must understand that although this period of time is no doubt traumatising for many male prisoners, it has proven to be worse for females. Female prisoners seem to have more difficulty coping with the pains of imprisonment than men. When we think of prison and its function, words like ‘reform’ and ‘renew’ automatically come to mind. However, unless we have done the time ourselves, I don’t believe we can give a full account of what time spent in prison is actually like, compared to what it is supposed to be like. Looking now at the Corston Report[25], we see an in depth breakdown of some women experiencing the pains of imprisonment. When the author visited Brockhill prison, she was given a list of certain events which had happened in the preceding ten days, in which she was told were fairly typical of everyday life in a women’s local prison. Some of these events are shocking and disturbing. They include the following:

- A woman setting fire to herself and her bedding[26]

- A woman was remanded into custody for strangling her six-year old child (possibly the most disturbing)[27]

- A woman had to be operated on as she had pushed a cross-stitch needle deep into a self-inflicted wound[28]

The above are just some of the many disturbing findings. A female prisoner told the author that ‘for men, prison was a “bad patch”; for women, “life has stopped”[29]. We need to understand that the responsibilities that women carry are effected to a greater extent when they are deprived of their liberty as opposed to men. For example, the deprivation of their children, their homes, their families and their relationships