The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 7th December 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government how many women in prison aged (1) 18 to 24, or (2) 25 or older, are currently sharing a cell.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con): On 19th November, the population of the women’s prison estate was 3,236.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about status of female prisoners”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 6th December 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government how many women in prison aged (1) 18 to 24, or (2) 25 years or older, have dependent children.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con): We do not hold current figures on how many women in prison aged (1) 18 to 24 or (2) 25 years or older have dependent children. Information on a prisoner’s caring responsibilities and their children living in the community is currently monitored locally by prison Governors/Directors to ensure appropriate support can be provided to offenders and their families. We are making changes to the questions within the Basic Custody Screening Tool (BCST) in the first quarter of 2022 and, once this has been done, we will be able to collect primary carer data via the BCST and access this information centrally. Consideration will then be given to how and what we can publish.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about conditions for prisoners, especially those with dependent children”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 29th November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government what age-specific training prison staff receive for working with female prisoners aged 18 to 24.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about conditions for women in prisons”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 24th November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government how many women aged (1) 18 to 24, and (2) 25 and above, went to prison in each of the last 10 years; what was the sentence length in each case; and what type of offence was committed.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con): The attached tables [on Hansard] show data on the numbers of women convicted by offence type and the length of sentence from 2011 to 2020 for those aged 18 to 24 and above 25 years of age.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about numbers of women in prison”The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on whether sentencing guidelines relating to pregnant women and primary carers are being followed, and on safeguarding training given to sentencers, on 17th November 2021, during a debate on the safety of pregnant prisoners:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, Committee on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was grateful to hear the Minister say on 1 November that
“there has been a revolution, a real sea change, in the judiciary. They really ‘get it’ when it comes to female offenders and primary carers.”—[Official Report, 1/11/21; col. 1042.]
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about sentencing guidelines relating to pregnant women and primary carers”
The Bishop of Ely spoke in a debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill on 15th November 2021, in support of amendments that would prevent prisoners from being released on a Friday, a weekend, or a public holiday, in order to ensure that newly released people would have access to services and support:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, I was not intending to speak to these amendments but, having been involved in prisoner resettlement in the past, I feel it is important to say that Friday release has a particular impact on younger women prisoners if their only option is a bail hostel.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Ely speaks in support of amendments on prison release schedules”On 15th November 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in the debate, supporting amendments designed to scrutinise the continuation of indefinite Imprisonment For Public Protection (IPP) Sentences:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I add my voice to those who have already spoken in favour of these amendments. I declare my interest as Anglican Bishop to Her Majesty’s Prisons.
All the detail I was going to mention has already been carefully and expertly explained; again, I pay tribute to the organisations that have been named, including the Howard League, the Prison Reform Trust and UNGRIPP, for their excellent briefing reports and research. It resonates strongly with all the conversations I have with people in prison and family members who write to me or send me emails. The thing I am struck most by is the sense of hopelessness; many noble Lords have mentioned that. I am a proud patron of Prison Fellowship, whose motto is:
“We believe no one is beyond hope.”
We really need to listen to that in this debate.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments targeted towards reform of Imprisonment for Public Protection”On 2oth October 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill. The Bishop of Durham, on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester, spoke in favour of an amendment which would aim to expand the definition of emergency worker to include prison workers:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 11, in the name of my right reverend friend the Bishop of Gloucester, with her permission, as she is sadly unable to be here today. I declare her interest as Anglican bishop of prisons in England and Wales.
This amendment seeks to improve Section 3 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 by expanding the definition of “emergency worker” to include all staff working in prisons. All those who work in prisons play a valuable role. However, currently, only officers and some healthcare staff are covered by this legislation and, as such, the risk for others working in prisons is increased, because prisoners are well aware of the more severe consequences of assaulting an officer compared with others working in prisons. Someone described this as effectively painting a target on their backs. This is an unintended consequence of the current legislation, which is unfair to many prison workers, undermines their safety and can be easily dealt with through this amendment.
Continue reading “Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Durham supports amendment on prison workers’ safety on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester”On 14th September 2021, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in response to the bill, expressing concern over the effects of the bill on women and children and calling for a “restorative, responsible, and relational” approach to criminal justice:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am grateful for the varied contributions heard today from noble and learned Lords, many of whom have vast experience in this area. I declare an interest as Anglican Bishop to Her Majesty’s Prisons in England and Wales and as president of the Nelson Trust.
As a Lord spiritual rooted in Christian hope, I look for a criminal justice system which is restorative, responsible and relational, and which is effective in focusing holistically on prevention and rehabilitation as well as appropriate conviction and punishment.
There are some welcome proposals within this very long Bill. These include community and diversionary cautions, problem-solving courts and additional support for employment for ex-offenders. There are other aspects that raise concern, and I will name just a few of them: increasing sentence lengths, police-led diversion, sentencing of mothers, racial disparities and young offenders.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester speaks on need for “restorative, responsible, and relational” criminal justice system”The Bishop of Gloucester tabled a question on the progress of the government’s 2018 Female Offender Strategy on 21st June 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress towards the implementation of the Female Offender Strategy, published on 27 June 2018; and what plans they have, if any, to revise the timetable for its implementation.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about implementation of the Female Offender Strategy”
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