Safe Homes for Women Leaving Prison

Siân Berry AM proposed, and Sem Moema AM seconded, the following motion: 

"This Assembly notes the Mayor’s response to the Housing Committee about housing for women leaving prison.

This Assembly further notes the Housing Committee’s submissions to both the Commons Select Justice Committee’s inquiry into women in prison and the Prisons Strategy White Paper.

This Assembly calls on the Mayor to:

• Acknowledge that the circumstances, needs and risks of vulnerable women leaving prison are fundamentally different to those of men leaving prison and that these must be addressed by ensuring that such women are provided with safe homes on release;
• Agree and implement a Women’s Prison Release Protocol with co-signatories to the London Blueprint for Women in contact with the Criminal Justice System and encourage London Councils and the G15 Housing Associations to the same;
• Reaffirm his call to Government to develop and apply in all criminal justice settings a consistent and agreed definition of 'released homeless' or 'released to settled accommodation';
• Explore ways in which much-needed funding for technical support – computers and phone calls – can be provided to enable women in prison to engage with local authorities concerning their circumstances and needs for safe accommodation on release;
• Continue to lobby for a review of sentencing for women, particularly around implementing alternatives to short-term sentences for non-violent offences;
• Support the London Blueprint delivery partners to develop a communications strategy to share good practice around housing women leaving prison;
• Reaffirm his call on the Government to reduce prison remands awaiting trial or sentence and to reduce the number of women recalled to prison for breaches of their license conditions;
• Support improvements to data collated on the reasons why short-term sentenced women are recalled to prison; and  
• Continue to fund structured programmes and pilots as alternatives to custodial sentences."

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion was agreed unanimously.