Comment on report on women's community services

Our Director, Richard Garside, expressed alarm at the findings of a new report from the Probation Inspectorate on community-based services for criminalised women.

The report identifies a dramatic decline in the quality and provision of services. Richard said,

'When the probation inspectorate last looked at community-based services for criminalised women in 2011, they found a wealth of activity, locally and regionally, with a strong lead from the Ministry of Justice.

'Five years on, they have found that provision is patchy, funding streams are uncertain, and leadership from the government is absent.

'The disruption and fragmentation of delivery following the disastrous privatisation of probation has played a big part in the decline.

'The Ministry of Justice needs to get a grip on this problem as a matter of urgency, and before services decline any further.

'In the longer-term, this strengthens the case for the government to draw a line under the mistakes of the transforming rehabilitation changes and begin the process of re-establishing a coherent and sustainable delivery model for probation services in England and Wales.'