News
June 2009
Funders collaborate to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the Corston Report
The Pilgrim Trust is a founder member of the Corston Independent Funders Coalition which is made up of eighteen independent funders that support work in the criminal justice field. The group are collaborating to pursue reform of the way in which vulnerable women offenders are treated. The Corston Independent Funders Coalition is a unique endeavour among funders and signals an even greater collaboration among trusts and foundations.
Following the deaths of six women at Styal prison in 2006 and an interim report into the incidents by the prison ombudsman, the Home Office announced a review of vulnerable women in the justice system. The Corston Report highlighted the need to take a radical new approach to address the complex and multiple needs of women who offend and those who are at risk of offending. The report's wide ranging recommendations included a women's commission to drive reform and it called for "committed ring-fenced funding from within each of the departmental budgets specifically allocated to ensure delivery".
A number of independent charitable funders became increasingly concerned that the recommendations made by Baroness Corston would be shelved by the government and they sent a letter to the government outlining their concerns. Key members of the group were then invited to meet with ministers. The members argued that public money should be made available to implement the changes recommended in the Corston Report. Since then the Ministry of Justice has agreed to ring fence £15.6 million to be used to help reduce offending by women and divert vulnerable women from prison. The funding will invest in the provision in the community of additional services for women and more one-stop-shop services at women's centres. The Director of The Pilgrim Trust was involved in assessing the applications for the first round of Ministry of Justice funds. A second round of funding has recently been announced.
The Corston Independent Funders Coalition are in the process of appointing an Advocate to give a single voice to the concerns of independent funders in keeping the Corston Report's recommendations in the public eye and in assisting the Government to implement its conclusions.
Additional Information
The Corston Report: a review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system
