Launching her annual report, the Chief Inspector of Prisons says in the Guardian:
“Investing in prisons is not enough; we need to invest in ‘not prison’. I said it eight years ago when I became chief inspector, and it remains true. We need, as the all-party Justice Committee said recently, to “shift resources away from incarceration towards rehabilitation and prevention”.

Justice Secretary Maria Eagle today announced the creation of a joint fund to divert women away from crime. The Ministry of Justice and the Corston Independent Funders’ Coalition have established a joint grant fund, each contributing £1 million, to help transform the way women are treated by the criminal justice system.
The Corston Independent Funders’ Coalition is an alliance of charitable trusts and foundations working together to reduce the numbers of non-violent women in prison. The members of the Coalition are all grant-makers, with years of experience of working in the …

Today’s Guardian carries a great article about Evolve, the women offenders programme in Calderdale. It’s run by WomenCentre Ltd, who received funding from the Ministry of Justice to divert women from custody and reduce offending.