Metal health, suicide prevention and women's incarceration; prepare for World Day Against The Death Penalty; opportunities, resources and more.
September 2024 newsletter from Women Beyond Walls - together we can build collective power and amplify voices to end the over-incarceration of women and girls worldwide.
Dear Friends
We are delighted to be back after our period of rest in August. We strongly believe that rest is a form of resistance, especially in a culture that prioritises productivity over wellbeing.
Content warning – the below section of our newsletter discusses suicidal feelings and mental health crises. If this is triggering for you, we suggest you scroll down to the section, ‘Women Beyond Walls news’.
World Suicide Day and mental health for women in prisons
Well-being is important to us at Women Beyond Walls, not only for our team but also in how we approach the work we do. This is one of the reasons we observed World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September - This day recognises the importance of talking about suicide and mental health in order to challenge the stigma around the issues and to break down the barriers to accessing crucial support for suicide prevention. Suicide is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world. A 2024 study published in The Lancet shows that poor mental health in prison populations can lead to victimisation or self-harm and that people in prison are also more likely to die of suicide. Furthermore, mental health tends to be poor for a proportion of people after release from prison, primarily because many fail to then access basic healthcare while in the community.
Prison Reform Trust acknowledges that the majority of women in prison have endured adverse childhood experiences such as abuse and neglect, as well as significant traumas in adulthood, including violence and exploitation—factors closely linked to poor mental health. Many incarcerated women also struggle with substance misuse, have lived in poverty, or faced social exclusion. In some countries, women are even imprisoned as a direct consequence of the trauma they have suffered—such as those criminalised for having illegal abortions, attempting to escape abusive situations, being sexually assaulted, or being coerced into drug smuggling. This is one of the reasons we are current working with Penal Reform International to map out the key areas in need of reform related to the criminalisation of women globally due to their poverty and status. We look forward to sharing our findings later in the year.
Women’s experiences with the criminal justice system can also exacerbate existing, or create new, mental health issues. In many countries sexual harassment and abuse is frequently experienced by women in police custody after arrest, and violence and poor conditions are common once in prison. Separation from family and loved ones can also have an extremely negative impact on incarcerated women’s mental health. Adequate healthcare, including mental healthcare, is also often lacking in prisons across the world, incarcerated women with poor mental health are rarely able to access the support and treatment needed to keep them safe. The gravity of this problem is reflected in the figures - a study by Penal Reform International into the mental health of incarcerated women across 24 countries found that women in prison were four times more likely to die by suicide than women in the community.
Incarceration is a real threat to the safety, wellbeing and lives of women across the world, and is another reason why we must advocate to end the over incarceration of women and girls.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, are worried about your mental health or feel affected by any of the issues we have mentioned we would strongly encourage you to reach out and talk to someone. In many parts of the world there are helplines and professional services available which can be found online. In several countries, if you feel in crisis, you can also contact your emergency services.
Women Beyond Walls news
On 6 September 2024, Women Beyond Walls, as a member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, joined The Advocates for Human Rights, the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, the International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women, and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists, and held a briefing for the United Nations Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls. We were honoured to contribute to this vital conversation, addressing the intersection of gender, incarceration, and the death penalty.
News from around the world
Democratic Republic of Congo: Over 260 female prisoners were sexually assaulted during an attempted mass escape from Makala Central Prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, according to an internal U.N. report seen by Reuters.
Russia: A Russian court has sentenced amateur ballerina Ksena Karelina to 12 years in prison for treason for donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine - you can read more here.
Uganda: Penal Reform International have reported on the significant rise in women being imprisoned due to failing to repay loans. This practice is a violation of international law as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that no-one should be imprisoned only for failing to meet a contractual agreement. Regional Director Doreen N. Kyazze argues that this issue “underscores the importance of understanding the intersection of financial challenges and legal implications that impact vulnerable populations.” These arrests, a clear example of the criminalisation of poverty, target the most vulnerable women in Ugandan society and often have catastrophic consequences for the lives of the women and their families.
UK: Earlier this month the UK’s female prison population fell by 5.9% under the new government’s early release scheme. This initiative, aiming to reduce overcrowding in UK prisons, saw incarcerated people serving sentences for less serious crimes leaving prison after serving 40% of their sentences rather than 50%. Women in Prison have shared a statement on the early release measures, including their recommendations for supporting women post-release.Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a package of measures to reduce the number of women in prison in the UK as she declares that “prison isn’t working for women.” Speaking at the Labour Party Conference, the Justice Secretary has shared plans for a new Women’s Justice Board to reduce the number of women going to prison. You can read more about the plans and Women in Prison’s response here.
UK: Women in Prison and Clean Break Theatre Company recently hosted a Summit on Ending the Criminalisation of Women. You can see more details on their social media.
USA: Plans are under discussion to replace Vermont’s only women’s prison, Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility. Residents are calling for focus on rehabilitation and re-entry.
Opportunities
The mobilisation kit for World Day Against the Death Penalty is still available! Observed every 10 October, the World Day Against the Death Penalty unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilizes civil society, political leaders, lawyers, public opinion and more to support the call for the universal abolition of capital punishment. The day encourages and consolidates the political and general awareness of the worldwide movement against the death penalty. If you are organising an event this October for World Day Against the Death Penalty please fill in this questionnaire for World Coalition Against the Death Penalty to keep track and report on the event. If you would like them to advertise your event, you can request this via this form. You can also find out what member organisations across the globe are planning and how to get involved.
Columbia University Centre for Justice are hosting an upcoming event, Beyond the Bars Maine, which will bring attendees together to discuss initiatives, coalition building and best practices in addressing mass incarceration. You can find details on attending the event, either in person or via live stream, here.
The Women in Corrections Conference by International Corrections & Prisons Association will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from the 19th-21st February 2025. The conference will aim to promote the sharing of research and experience to improve the treatment of incarcerated women; raise awareness about the challenges faced by incarcerated women; and encourage discussion on practice and policy reforms.
The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights is calling for nominations for the ‘Med Kaggwa Award’ which recognises outstanding achievement on the implementation of the Luanda Guidelines - a rights-based approach to arrest, police custody and pre-trial detention in Africa.
St Giles Trust (UK) are recruiting for a Women’s Early Intervention Caseworker in Coventry to support women on the periphery of the criminal justice system.
Media and literature recommendations
The Big Issue have shared Nadia’s experience of being incarcerated in a UK prison. Nadia highlights the issue of mental health for incarcerated women in prison, and how many require mental health support that is not accessible within the system.
Journalist Eva Wiseman has reported on the need for “a radical rethink” in relation to the prison system for women. She expresses the need to abolish women’s prisons to protect their safety.
New JUSTICE podcast episode by One Small Thing with prison philanthropist Edwina Grosvenor and Women in Prison’s Pamela Price and Miranda Dobson. They discuss diversion schemes for women and their role in preventing women from being drawn into the criminal justice system.
Access the digital version of Still I Rise, Women in Prison’s magazine which both enables women in prison to access support and information, and amplifies the voices of women in prison to the outside world. The magazine is produced by women in HMP Styal in the UK. This recent Issue 22 focuses on mental health, so is very applicable to our reflections on World Suicide Prevention Day.
Penal Prison Reform have published their Global Prison Trends 2024 report. The report notes the 60% increase in female incarceration since 2000 compared with 22% rise for men. It also highlights that drug offences are a key driver for this increasing rate, with more than a third of incarcerated women globally being detained for drug related offences.
Clean Break Film Festival 2024 is here! The festival is running from the 23rd September to 6th October and is showcasing short films which aim to “raise difficult questions, inspire debate, and help to effect profound and positive change in the lives of people who are criminalised, or who are at risk.”
Read the UN report on contemporary slavery released this year. The report specifically details the issues of forced labour and sexual exploitation of incarcerated women in prisons and detention facilities across the world.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons have released their annual report on the state of prisons in the UK. For incarcerated women, the report notes record highs of self-harm, use of force to manage women in crisis, “brutalising conditions” of violence in prisons and the issues around unmet health needs.
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With gratitude to the community,
The Women Beyond Walls Team