November 2024

Sky News has highlighted our work as part of a broadcast on changes to the way women offenders are dealt with.

A team from the broadcaster visited our workshop in HMP Styal, a women’s prison in Cheshire, and our food redistribution warehouse in mid-November, to learn about how we support women with histories of offending.

The visit followed the government’s announcement of a new Women’s Justice Board, which will explore how to reduce the numbers of women sent to prison and how to improve rehabilitation for those already imprisoned. Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said “prison isn’t working” for women.

Chief executive, Alasdair Jackson OBE, said: “It’s testament to our impact that Sky News thought of us when planning this feature. And when it’s such an important topic – on how to reduce reoffending and better support families and communities – we were really pleased to add our support and voice.”

Sky News’ feature – available here – highlighted how women offenders are typically jailed for non-violent offences and serve shorter sentences, and how this leads to a range of challenges for women, their families and communities, along with the public purse. It also looked at the challenges facing the majority of women in prison, including how 60% have experienced domestic violence, abuse or neglect.

Its team interviewed two of our team members, Naomi and Yvonne, who have each spent time in prison. Naomi is now CFM Coordinator for our Food Redistribution Centre while Yvonne runs our workshop within HMP Styal – a role that made her the first woman to ever be employed within the same prison where she was once an inmate.

Naomi explained the knock-on effects of jailing women for low level offences: “They take women who’ve robbed a block of cheese to feed their child, they put them in prison for 28 days, they take their home, take their kids and then [let them] out with nothing … that creates a criminal. Then they’re also releasing them with a sleeping bag and a tent and telling them to [sleep rough]. That just creates a woman who’s got nothing to lose.”

Yvonne shared about the difference her role is making for women in prison, as she manages and mentors women in the workshop: “I’m trying to give them a future and some hope that they can find a job, find a home and get their kids back; that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Alasdair said of the broadcast: “All thanks and praise need to go to Naomi and Yvonne who both spoke so candidly and powerfully about their experiences and how turning your life around is a possibility. It takes a lot of guts and nerve to do that, especially to a camera and interviewer.”

Watch the Sky News piece in full: The prison project helping female inmates rebuild their lives