Nearly 70% of the women supported by Advance’s criminal justice services report experiences of abuse and trauma; for many, this has even led to their time in prison, either though coerced offending, resistance to abuse, or because of their coping mechanisms including the use of alcohol and substances. Prison will never be the right place for them to rebuild their lives after trauma.
Women are disproportionately affected by short prison sentences. 6 in 10 women in prison are serving sentences of less than six months [1]. Time in prison can truly ruin a woman’s life – losing her income, her home, and even custody of her children. This can have long-lasting and devastating repercussions for her and her children.
The women we work with tell us that receiving support in the community is truly life changing. Following support from a community keyworker, Carly* told us “I am learning to love myself. This women’s centre has been a blessing, I feel part of a community, I feel like a woman for the first time, it feels so good. I really needed this.”
We also hope to see a reassessment of the sentences handed out for gender-based violence and abuse. Too often, we hear that short sentences do not offer time for proper behaviour change, which is essential to hold perpetrators of abuse to account. One survivor, who contributed to our “Her Story, Her Justice report”, told us that “His sentence was very lenient – it was a real disappointment… it just isn’t going to deter him from doing it again.” This review must offer survivors of abuse safety and hold perpetrators to account with strong community sanctions.
Liz Mack, Chief Executive Officer of Advance, said:
We look forward to working with the Government and with David Gauke on this review and sharing the evidence and insight of our Lived Experience Ambassadors and expert service delivery colleagues.
Media enquiries
For more information, please contact Tracie Couper, Press Officer at Advance, at tracie.c@advancecharity.org.uk or on 0743 2700 287.
Notes
About Advance
- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- As well as providing direct support, Advance works with statutory services, government agencies and other women’s charities to ensure a holistic approach to the issues these women face.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance is able to support, please visit Get help
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit Our impact
