Why prison isn't working for women

Psychologist Stephanie Covington believes understanding trauma can help staff appreciate that women in jail can be victims too

It's a weekday morning, and in a packed lecture theatre in central London, author and consultant Stephanie Covington is telling about 100 people who work in Britain's jails why prisons fail to rehabilitate women. Along with other prison campaigners, Covington believes something must be done about the fact that eight in 10 women behind bars have been convicted of a non-violent offence and yet, once incarcerated, one in two will reoffend within a year. Locking up a mother or caregiver will also hugely increase the risk of her children having mental health problems or getting caught up in the criminal justice system themselves, she adds.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2014/apr/22/prison-women-trauma-stephanie-covington