Crimbrary

Broken Trust: The Rising Numbers of Women Recalled to Prison
"This small-scale study of recall gathered the perspectives of 24 women who had been recalled to prison. Our study found:

• Almost a third (7/24) reported needing help with the combination of mental health needs, drug misuse and domestic violence

• 19 women identified housing as the most important thing prisons must do to prepare people for release and 10 had been homeless at some point

• 22 women disclosed being in risky situations while at liberty, including homelessness and domestic abuse; six were assaulted

• 11 said they had been recalled for failing to keep in touch with their probation officer (‘responsible officer’).

The women said that their responsible (probation) officers were unable to support them indealing with the social challenges they faced on release, particularly regarding housing. Thethreat of recall accentuated the fault lines in supervision relationships that were already fragile,inhibiting women from confiding in their supervisors about their difficulties. The seriousbreakdown in communication and trust contributed to their recall."