WOMEN’ S SERVICES
BEYOND CUSTODY
I
nternational Women’ s Day this month is a time to celebrate progress, but also to face hard truths. One of those truths is this – some of the most vulnerable women in our society are still more likely to go to prison than into treatment. More likely to be separated from their children than supported to recover alongside them. More likely to experience systems as punitive rather than protective.
Women in custody are among the most marginalised in our communities. Many live with trauma, poor mental health, poverty, homelessness and substance use. Many have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence. Many are primary caregivers. Almost all have faced significant adversity
Women in custody are some of the most marginalised in our communities. It’ s time to put some real alternatives and genuine recovery pathways in place, says Rachael Clegg
long before they enter the criminal justice system. And yet, for some women, prison is the first place they experience stability, the first time substance use stops, the first time there’ s
Women leaving prison or facing court are often trying to navigate many services all at once. These systems are complicated, even for professionals. routine, the first time there’ s a bed of their own.
Prison should not be the safest place a woman knows. If we’ re serious about fairness and prevention, we must strengthen real alternatives to custody and create clear, gender-specific pathways from custody into residential rehabilitation. Treatment should not be a last-minute option at crisis point. It should be considered early – before custody, instead of custody, and directly from custody when appropriate.
Women leaving prison or facing court are often trying to navigate probation, social care, housing, safeguarding and mental health services all at once. These systems are complicated even for professionals. For women with histories of trauma – especially those who’ ve felt judged or harmed before – they can feel overwhelming and unsafe.
If we want women to engage, we have to do more than offer a placement. We must walk alongside them. That means making safeguarding processes transparent, ensuring agencies communicate clearly with one another, providing practical support to attend appointments and hearings, and building trust through consistent, relational approaches rather than reinforcing fear.
REAL ALTERNATIVES Alternatives to custody are not about avoiding accountability. They are about responding to
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10 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MARCH 2026 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM