Claire Waxman, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, has stated that the prison capacity crisis cannot be resolved through short-term interventions. She highlighted that victims require confidence in a credible long-term strategy for the criminal justice system.
Ms Waxman raised concerns about the crisis in courts, noting that approximately one in five prisoners are awaiting trial. She added that some defendants spend so long on remand that they are released after sentencing, having already served their time.
The chief executive of Nacro, Enver Solomon, suggested that ensuring women leaving prison are supported to stay out could lead to a long-term reduction in the number of women in prison. Analysis by Nacro found that in the first three months of this year, there was one recall for every four women under post-release supervision, compared with one recall for every five men.
A pilot women’s court in Bristol is taking a trauma-informed approach to address underlying causes of offending, such as domestic abuse, addiction, mental ill health, and homelessness. Polly Creed of the Holloway Women’s Building Collective also highlighted the role of women's centres, which offer holistic support and are reported to save £2.75 for every £1 invested.