This event is exclusive to Friends of Tortoise
Women make up around 4% of the UK prison population, which means that more than 3,000 women are incarcerated in a system largely designed for men. They’re often poor, marginalised, traumatised and vulnerable individuals, mostly convicted for non-violent and petty crimes,
More than half of women in prison have little or no educational qualifications, many have drug and alcohol dependencies, and an alarming number suffer from mental health issues. NHS data shows two thirds of women in prison are suffering from a mental disorder with record numbers being driven to suicide or self-harm by the lack of appropriate care.
Does incarceration of women do more harm than good for society, and if so – what’s the alternative?
editor and invited experts
Liz Moseley
Editor
Angela Kirwin
Former Prison Social Worker and Author of ‘Criminal: How our prisons are failing us all’
Keri Blakinger
Journalist and Author of ‘Corrections in Ink: Dispatches from an American Prison’