Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Focus on women’s prisons, A briefing paper from HM Inspectorate of Prisons, published in February 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding that lack of housing for women on release from prison is a critical risk factor in resettlement.

We recognise the challenges facing women seeking accommodation on release. As part of our commitment to eliminate rough sleeping, we are working across Government, with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Welsh Government and other Government Departments, to address the barriers offenders face in securing suitable accommodation.

Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-25 we will spend £200 million a year to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation. This includes expanding our new Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) provision, which currently provides up to 12 weeks temporary housing in five probation regions, to all prison leavers in England and Wales at risk of homelessness who are subject to probation supervision.

We understand that women face specific challenges in securing suitable accommodation because of their particular needs. For example, many require accommodation in women-only spaces as a result of their experiences of domestic abuse, or require additional space for their children.

The temporary accommodation we are providing takes account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs, with accommodation provision dedicated to single gender usage. Community Probation Practitioners (CPPs), working together with local partners, are responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and have access to additional support through the Women’s Commissioned Rehabilitation Service (CRS). This provision is a holistic service offer, delivered by expert and experienced women’s services, that covers a broad range of interventions including accommodation support.

We will also increase the number of Housing Specialists from 20 to 48 across England and Wales. This will support prisons to be more strategic in their response to reducing homelessness and partnership working. Of the original 20 Housing Specialists, four were located in women’s prisons. This ratio will continue to apply to the additional 28 Housing Specialists.

We remain committed to the vision in the 2018 Female Offender Strategy, which set out the long-term framework to achieve better outcomes for women at all points of the system, and make society safer by tackling the underlying causes of offending and reoffending. The Strategy set out three main objectives: fewer women offending and reoffending; fewer women in custody, especially on short sentences, with more managed effectively in the community; and better conditions for women in custody that support effective rehabilitation.