Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government in order to reduce reoffending and enable rehabilitation what steps they are taking to support women released from custody, including those with additional vulnerabilities such as substance use treatment.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has announced the creation of a Women’s Justice Board, with the clear goals of reducing the number of women in prison and addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system.

A bespoke resettlement model, with embedded probation pre-release provision, is in place in all women’s prisons. Pre-release teams screen for resettlement needs and signpost to specialist services within the prison, such as Prison Banking Administrators, Healthcare, and Rehabilitative Services. In liaison with the Community Offender Manager, they support pre-release planning activity throughout the period in custody.

Women-specific Commissioned Rehabilitative Services contracts deliver bespoke and specialist support to women on probation. including assisting physical and mental wellbeing; access to accommodation and employment; support with any finance, benefit and debt needs; maintaining relationships with families; and supporting any dependency and recovery needs.

We know that treatment is effective in reducing substance misuse, re-offending and other harmful outcomes. The Ministry of Justice works in partnership with the Department of Health & Social Care and NHS England to ensure that continuity of care is in place for all women leaving prison who have continuing drug and or alcohol treatment needs.