Women in Prison
Too many women are incarcerated for drugs offences. Release campaigns for the greater protection of vulnerable women and asks members of the public to demand an end to the ever increasing criminalisation of the female population.
In the last decade the women’s prison population has more than doubled. Women are housed in large prisons designed for men, often far from their families where the different needs they have are not sufficiently addressed. Of the sentenced female prison population, the majority are held for non-violent offences. At the end of October 2007 the largest group, 30%, were held for drug offences.
Women in prison need your support. Help us to help them NOW.
The number of foreign nationals in UK prisons has been growing even faster than British nationals and one of the main reasons for this is the growth in sentences for drug mules. Foreign national prisoners come from 168 countries, but over half are from just six countries, of which Jamaicans are by far the largest single group. 8 out of 10 foreign national female prisoners have committed drug offences, mainly drug trafficking and are almost always first time offenders from the poorest countries in the world.
Drug Mules
Many of the women incarcerated in UK prisons are foreign nationals who have been arrested importing drugs into the UK. They carry relatively small quantities of drugs, often having ingested them unaware of the health risks they are subjecting themselves to. Prosecuting and sentencing these women to long terms in UK prisons has little or no impact on the volume of drugs available in the UK, but does cause huge social harm to the families and communities of these vulneable and impoverished women.
Release aims to achieve the introduction of legislation creating a specific offence of drug couriering, which would be subject to an appropriate sentencing regime that takes into account the mitigating circumstances of drug couriers, as opposed to professional drug traffickers.
Women and Sex Work
Release supports the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) in its campaign for the safeguarding of all sex workers and the protection of their rights and well-being. Release is particularly concerned by proposed new legislation which forms part of the Policing & Crime Bill which will further endanger women who work in the prostitution industry.
Announcing some success - Owing to massive pressure by the ECP and lobbying by Release, the government has been forced to amend Clause 13 of the Bill which made it a criminal offence for a man to have sex with a person “controlled for gain” whether he knew it or not. “Controlled for gain” is being replaced with “force, deception or threats”. The difference between consensual situations where sex workers are working voluntarily, and situations where women are being coerced and suffer violence, is finally being acknowledged.
Release needs to secure the support of prominent female figures for all its campaigns on women's rights. Please contact Release if you have suggestions or information regarding this.
