Women in Prison

Events 2012

Small Custodial Units Roundtable event

15 May 2012

One of the key recommendations of the Corston Report was the establishment of small, geographicaly dispersed custodial units to accomodate a reduced women's population. Women in Prison held a roundtable event on small custodial units to coincide with the five year anniversary of the publication of the Corston report. This all-day event was dedicated to discussion and debate around this topic. It featured key note speeches by Baroness Jean Corston and HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick. It also featured panel discussions by Deborah Coles (co-Director of INQUEST), Debra Baldwin (Head of Women and Equalities group at NOMS), Kim Pate (Executive Director of Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies), Paula Harriot (Head of Programmes at User Voice), Clive Chatterton (former Governor of HMP Styal) and Julie Marriot (Northern Services Manager at Women in Prison). The panels were facilitated by Lucy Gampell OBE and Lynne Laidlaw. The event was attended by a large number of practioners from organisations across the field of criminal justice who all took part in bringing this recommendation alive.

Read the full report from the day here

Read the executive summary of the report here

NIACE Policy Seminar

Women in Prison, 26 April 2012

“Too many people in prison and serving community sentences have been denied proper learning chances in life for many different reasons. However, learning in prison has the power to transform people's lives and, as Sophie said, can 'make their life'."

Carol Taylor, Director of Development and Research at NIACE

Women in Prison hosted NIACE’s policy seminar on Offender Learning. The seminar was attended by learners, NIACE’s Royal Patron, HRH, the Princess Royal and the Minister for Skills, John Hayes MP, as well as practitioners. The event included a focus on women in prison, hearing from women learners and highlighting their learning needs.

Watch a short film made at the event