On Thursday April 25, Soroptimist International UK Programme Action Committee (UKPAC) will launch their Action Pack on Reducing Women’s Imprisonment at a reception at the House of Commons in London. This is  a joint initiative by UKPAC and Prison Reform Trust to end the unnecessary imprisonment of women in the UK.

UKPAC Chair Jan Hemlin will be interviewed about the project on Women’s Hour (BBC Radio 4, 10am, UK).

Speakers will include Helen Grant MP, Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and for Women’s and Equalities Issues, Juliet Lyon from Prison Reform Trust and Jan Hemlin, Chair of UKPAC. Similar launch events will be held in Scotland and Wales.

The Action Pack contains facts and figures about women’s justice and sets out what Soroptimist clubs can do to gather information about what happens locally and bring about change. The evidence  from clubs will be compiled into a report to be jointly published by the Prison Reform Trust and Soroptimist UKPAC in 2014 which will outline the state of women’s justice across the UK and further progress needed. The report will be presented to Ministers and policy-makers and used to promote best practice and achieve reform.

 For more information or to download the Action Pack, visit the SI UKPAC website.