Manifesto Action Toolkit

The Manifesto

Stop sending women to prison unnecessarily.

We are calling on all Parties to commit to halving the number of women received into prison each year. Based on our experience of providing direct services to women in prison and in the community we believe the following measures would lead to this reduction:

1. Provide women-centred community sentences. Non-custodial sentences designed for women must be available to all sentencers across the country.

1. Provide women only support services for women on community sentences and women in and leaving prison. Support must be holistic, individualised, separate from enforcement and focussed on empowerment.

1. Stop criminalising women for non-criminal actions through the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.

1. Provide women-specific bail support and timely mental health assessments to enable a reduction in the use of remand.

1. Stop incarcerating women for breach. Women must not be set up to fail on community sentences that are designed for men. Breach procedures need to be examined to reduce the number of women being imprisoned for non-compliance.

1. Ensure the rights of children are considered in remand and sentencing decisions

All Parties should commit to establishing the small custodial units for those few women for whom custody may be appropriate recommended in the Corston Review on vulnerable women in the criminal justice system.

Help Make it Happen!

Sign Up

Email campaigns@womeninprison.org.uk with organisation, your name, position and contact details and let us know if we can list your name and/or organisation on this site

Write to your MP

Download our model letter, edit it, print it, sign it, send it

To find your MP go to http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

Email your MP

Download our model email, copy and paste it, edit it, send it

To email your MP go to http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Mention or Direct Message your MP on Twitter

Copy, paste and edit this Tweet:

@[insert your MP’s name] please sign up to halve the number of women in prison http://womenswap.blogspot.com/
#WomenSWAP

Find out if your MP is on Twitter http://tweetminster.co.uk/

Questions Your Candidates

If you are attending a hustings or speaking to candidates in your constituency ask them:

What action will you take to reduce the women’s prison population?

‘Vote’ to Keep Women Out of Prison

Download our vote sign it and send it to us to say that you vote to keep women out of prison – we are especially keen to hear from women in prison and other women who will not be able to vote – make your voice heard. If you work with women in the criminal justice system please encourage them to get involved. Votes can be sent as they are or decorated to make them eye-catching. We will collect all the votes and let all the parties know how important you think it is to keep women out of prison.

Spread the Word

Tell everyone about the campaign – use your newsletters and websites. The more people who know about it and get involved the bigger impact we will have.

Keep us up to date!

If you take part in any of these actions or think of other ways to promote the manifesto please let me know – we are especially keen to hear about responses from your MP or candidates email your updates to campaigns@womeninprison.org.uk and let us know if you are happy for us to share your update on our website http://womenSWAP.blogspot.com/