Too many abused women locked up, minister says as BBC visits women’s prison

Tina was 16 when she says she was forced to marry.

She describes what followed as decades of “relentless” abuse, including “hit in the face multiple times…[and] an incident where my head was slammed into a wall.

It culminated in a divorce, after which her family separated her, and a downward spiral into drug and alcohol abuse and depression.

Now 40, Tina (not her real name) is serving a six-year sentence for importing class A drugs.

“I made bad decisions and I regret the decisions I made,” she says, “but in all honesty, I feel like I’m grateful they arrested me when I did.”

Tina is one of 243 women imprisoned at HMP Send, a women’s prison located in rural Surrey.

Most of the women here are serving time for non-violent crimes, and staff say most have likely experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives.

Tina says the staff at HMP Send have helped her “become a better version” of herself.

But he believes much of what he did in prison could have happened in the community.

“I just feel like maybe my punishment was more than necessary,” he says.

The government says it wants to send fewer nonviolent offenders to prison with short sentences.

Women would appear to be a main focus of this, as almost three quarters of those imprisoned in 2020 were for non-violent offences, many of whom are vulnerable.

Speaking to the BBC, Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said there were too many female victims of domestic abuse in the system.

These women, however, are criminals and some will have little compassion for their circumstances: they have broken the law.

I have visited numerous men’s prisons for the BBC, but this is the first time I have been to one that houses women. The differences are marked.

The long access road to HMP Send, about six miles from Woking, leads to an intimidating entrance. Coils of barbed wire cover the tall, cream-colored metal fence.

But once we walk through the front door, the atmosphere changes quickly. It looks more like a university campus with the occasional patch of grass highlighting the cell blocks.

It’s smaller than prisons I’ve visited before: Victorian men’s prisons house hundreds more inmates.

Cell lines are longer and criminals can see other cells from landings high above. The volume here is also lower. There is less shouting, banging and clanging and fewer voices raised in anger.

The women are imprisoned in six pavilions. Their crimes range in severity, from murder and fraud to robbery and prostitution.

Twenty-five-year-old Behnaz is serving a five-year sentence for possession of a firearm. Her meticulous hair and makeup are not what you would expect from a recluse.

“I don’t think prison is the right place to rehabilitate,” he says. “You leave prison with more problems than you had when you entered, the trauma of being in this environment and the things you see and hear.”

But he adds: “There are parts of my crime that I took 100% responsibility for, so being in prison is something I’ve made peace with and I’m fine with it.”

There are 3,477 women imprisoned in England and Wales – just 4% of the total prison population.

Around 72% were serving sentences for non-violent crimes in 2020, according to the Prison Reform Trust.

According to the Ministry of Justice, female offenders are often vulnerable: more than half of women in prison say they have been victims of domestic abuse.

Tanya Marsden, residential supervisor at HMP Send, says: “When it comes to male staff, that can be a huge trigger for some of the women… trying to build that trust with some of these prisoners is quite difficult at times. But what we are excellent at is showing them that we are here.” [for them]”.

HMP Send is one of the few prisons in England to have a dedicated program for those suffering brain injuries from domestic abuse.

The Brainkind charity works with women here, offering them rehabilitation sessions and teaching skills, to help them deal with their condition, which may have been caused by non-fatal strangulation or other forms of physical violence.

Research suggests that a prisoner’s crime can be attributed in part to acquired brain injuries, which affect judgment and bias decision-making.

Lord Timpson tells the BBC he has met “too many women” in prison who are victims of domestic abuse, describing them as “black and sad”.

“I don’t think prison is the right place for them. They need to be somewhere safe, preferably with their children and away from violence.”

He says prison will always be necessary for a violent criminal, but that policymakers must “follow the evidence.”

And he adds: “And the evidence says that many women go to prison for short sentences, their children are fostered and when they leave prison they commit more crimes. What we have to do is reduce the amount of recidivism.”

New laws expected to come in next year will mean a reduction in short custodial sentences and more community punishments.

With 16% of women serving sentences of 12 months or less for their crimes by mid-2024, the legislation is likely to significantly reduce the number of women in prison.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said more than half of crimes were committed by 9% of offenders and said the government needed to ensure these “hyper-prolific offenders” remained behind bars, regardless of their sex.

“However, there are times when public protection must be balanced,” he said. “For pregnant women, those with young children or those who are victims of domestic abuse, alternative forms of punishment will often be much more appropriate.”

It costs the taxpayer more than £52,000 per prisoner each year, so supporters of the government’s position say there is a clear money-saving gain by not imprisoning them in the first place.

However, non-custodial sentences are not necessarily a panacea. Government critics say the lack of support services and rehabilitation programs could lead to recidivism.

A number of probation officers have privately expressed concerns about whether they will be able to provide the support that women with complex needs will need in the community as their workload is said to be at peak levels.

And some inmates argue about the deterrent effect. One asked: “If women know they will not be imprisoned, will they be more likely to commit crimes or be forced to commit them?”

It is clear that the government needs to address these issues thoroughly to avoid the revolving door of crime, conviction and prison.

The charity Women in Prison indicates that 56% of women who serve a custodial sentence will reoffend within a year.

Alida is serving a prison sentence for serious fraud crimes and believes it is the right place for her.

She says that while some women in prison put their hands up and take responsibility for their crime, others “blame someone else for it.”

“There’s no smoke without fire, you know? And I don’t think the system is that wrong at the end of the day,” he says.