On Thursday April 25, the Soroptimist International UK Programme Action Committee (UKPAC) launched their Action Pack on Reducing Women’s Imprisonment at a reception at the House of Commons in London, attended by the Minister of State for Justice, many MPs and Peers, as well as Soroptimists from around the UK. The joint initiative by UKPAC and Prison Reform Trust aims to end the unnecessary imprisonment of women in the UK.

A joint letter to the Independent newspaper last month, signed by UKPAC Chair Jan Hemlin outlined the need for action:
"Over 10,000 women are sent to prison each year, most to serve short sentences for non-violent crimes. Many women in prison have themselves been the victims of serious crime, including domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape. For far too long, our prisons have been full of women who have mental-health needs, suffer from drug and alcohol addictions, and struggle with debt".

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.

Speakers at the Westminster launch included Lord Woolf, former Lord Chief Justice and chair of the Prison Reform Trust; Lord McNally, Minister of State for Justice and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords; Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws QC, FRSA; Juliet Lyon CBE, Prison Reform Trust director and UKPAC chair, Jan Hemlin. 

Lord McNally gave encouragement for the work, saying “this will be aligning with the new Government Strategy related to reducing the number of women in prison”.
 
Baroness Helena Kennedy endorsed the work of Soroptimists relating how she had from personal experience seen how Soroptimists mobilise and deliver. 

UKPAC Chair Jan Hemlin was interviewed about the Reducing Women’s Imprisonment project on Woman’s Hour (BBC Radio 4, 10am, UK). You can listen to the interview via the BBC website.

Similar launch events will be held in Wales in May and Scotland in June.  For more information or to download the Action Pack, visit the SI UKPAC website.

Images (top to bottom):

• Lord McNally, Lord Woolf, Juliet Lyon, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Jan Hemlin and UK Soroptimists
• The Action Pack
• Lord McNally and Jan Hemlin
• Pat Black, SIGBI President, and Lord Woolf