Do we send too many women to prison?

There are too many women and men in prison. It's expensive and doesn't work. I think it is a gender issue because the overwhelming majority of violent crime is committed by men. Most women in prison are there for non violent offences. I think prison for non violent offences has really got to be a last resort.

I do have confidence in properly funded community sentencing, but probation services are cut to the bone. Good targeted help for mothers at risk of offending might help too and have a knock on effect. A different strategy to tackling drugs would help too- legalise use and focus resources on catching the people making money out of misery.

Even child molesters can be made that way, if they grew up being abused physically mentally and sexually it's very very likely they will go on to do the same. If you grew up thinking violence was normal you wouldn't think twice about hitting someone as you don't get that it's wrong. If you grew up and didn't get a average education and so got stuck in the poverty cycle one day your electrics about to run out, another baby on the way and christmas I can understand why someone would mug someone else of do a burglary.

All of the above can be solved before it even gets that far.

Agree with your last point InNeedOfBrandy

I suppose it depends which you think is more important too.....punishment or rehabilitation.

I wish we could get rid of prison apart from a few really fucked up people.

Most people in prison have some sort of learning disability, no education, ADHD is really really high among the prison population, mental health issues and poverty. These can all be solved and managed without the need for prison IMO.

I completely agree with that, Lisa.

Sorry rules are do the crime, do the time. Male or female, you choose to offend and are not thinking of your children when you do so. Therefore why should government think of gem later, you weren't thinking of them when committing an offence.

If my DB's ex gets let off / gets a lesser sentence because she's a mum, I will be livid.

I don't think it's as simple as a gender issue. I think there are some issues that affect women that are not taken into account always.

The government should consider improving detox/rehab provision and accessibility to it, that would quite probably make a difference to reoffending rates of both sexes.

Drug misuse is a huge factor in offending rates.

Drugs are also far too available inside prisons, if you are not a drug user when you go in, you may well be when you come out.

Most of the time, people make their own choices, but there are lots of factors to look at.

Huge numbers of inmates are illiterate or have learning disabilities.

Lots of women who are jailed are jailed for crimes related to finance/poverty.

I don't think it is always in the best interests of society as a whole to jail primary caring parents.

Pip I guess it depends on the crime, if it's bad enough for them to spend time in prison then they are obviously not good role models or can even be said to be taking proper care of their kids. They are putting them in the position of being away from them because they choose to offend.

It's not the courts punishing the children, it's the offenders.

It shouldn't be a gender issue.

Unfortunately reoffending rates are poor because an offender is not always able to complete every course they should to help reduce their risk of reoffending. Not every prison offers them. It's just female prisons are even more limited than male ones. And it's harder for a mother to move away from her family to complete the course which would put her back with them, potentially quicker.

I think it's wrong to make it a gender issue. If woman are going to offend, they should be just as prepared as a man to face the consequences of their actions.

This.

Hmm I think they should definately go to prison for violent offenses and just because they are female shouldn't detract from that fact.

But prison is shit, it doesn't do anything, it doesn't change your outlook on life and where children are concerned/LP I don't think they should go to prison so easily. I don't know how you would stop women offending because they know they won't go to jail though without changing society.

I think prison in general is fairly shite and doesn't achieve much at all.
Reoffending rates are enormous.

Are you suggesting that the children of convicted female prisoners should be removed from their care permanently? Whatever the crime?

Surely though, if a person with children is being sent to prison, they are not exactly the best rolemodels for the kids?

Their website is as hard to read as the OP is - it really doesn't do them any favours.

My main concern is less to do with women being imprisoned and more to do with anyone with primary care responsibilities being imprisoned. It seem that by sending carers to prison, not only they but their whole family is punished. So steps should be taken to impose a punishment (where possible and proportionate to the crime) that enables the carer to continue with their caring responsibilities - particularly when the crime is non-violent.

I've heard of women getting caught in cycle whereby the court assesses their suitability to undergo punishment in the community, only for that not to be an option because the woman would have difficulty completing the sentence due to childcare commitments - so she gets a custodial sentence instead. That seems bonkers, surely supporting women (and other carers) to complete their sentence in the community would be cheaper and far more humane for the children?

Also, I think you would have to compare incident rates, arrest rates, conviction rates, and imprisonment rates (plus first offence/repeat offence) of individual crimes for each gender to establish whether there was a disproportionate response either locally, regionally or nationally.

Far too many variables to consider for an informed opinion, I think.

1. "10,000 women imprisoned", how many men?
2. How many charged, how many convicted, how many sentenced? 10,000 can be 100% or 1% of women who are charged then convicted.
3. "81% of women imprisoned for non-violent crime." What percentage of men imprisoned for non-violent crime?
4. "Over half of women in prison report having experienced domestic violence and one-third sexual abuse." What proportion of non-imprisoned women report the same?
5. "Over 17,240 children were separated from mothers serving time in 2010. An estimated two babies are born in English prisons every week." Is it not a slippery slope to suggest that having children should be a 'get out of jail free' card, or even pregnancy? Women could easily fall pregnant between charge and court to avoid a custodial sentence.

I think it's wrong to make it a gender issue. If woman are going to offend, they should be just as prepared as a man to face the consequences of their actions.