Community justice solutions

Listen to the trailer

Our new series of JUSTICE explores community justice solutions for women. What are community justice solutions? And why are they important for women? For the first time, this series will be co-hosted by Edwina Grosvenor with One Small Thing’s Women’s Involvement Advisor Lilly Lewis. Along with expert guests we’ll delve into different sentencing options, and initiatives aimed at keeping women in the community, as well as prevention and diversion. Importantly, we’ll be highlighting why it’s vital we stop sending women to prison unnecessarily, and focus on providing support within communities.

Episodes

Episode 1: Suspended Sentences - Rethinking presumptions against short sentences, With Dr Cyrus Tata and Dr Shona Minson

In our first episode, we explore suspended sentences and what a presumption against short prison sentences really means. Experts Dr Shona Minson and Dr. Cyrus Tata discuss the effectiveness of this presumption in Scotland since it was introduced over a decade ago and explore the proposed legislation in England and Wales, challenging assumptions around it’s suggested impact, and highlighting that without both clarity of vision and proper investment in community support, prison will often be used as the default.

Episode 2: One Year of Hope Street: Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities since opening our doors

This episode celebrates the one year anniversary of Hope Street opening, our residential community for women and their children in contact with the Justice System. Edwina and the team look back at our service design and intentions and reflects on the first-year and the challenges and opportunities so far.

Episode 3: Preventing Young Women’s involvement in the Justice System

In this episode we look at what’s needed to prevent young women getting caught up in the justice system and what community-based solutions are needed. Lilly Lewis hosts this episode and is joined by Indy Cross, CEO of Agenda Alliance, who shares learning from their Young Women’s Justice Project. We also speak with a young woman, Caiyan, and Aliyah Ali, Founder of the Daddyless Daughters Project, who shares more about their mission supporting girls and young women across London between the ages of 11-25 years old.

Episode 4: Problem Solving Courts with Dr Alexandria Bradley and Dr Sarah Waite

In this episode our Women’s Involvement Advisor Lilly Lewis explores Problem Solving Courts for women with Dr Alexandria Bradley Senior Lecturer in Criminology, and Dr Sarah Waite Senior Lecturer in Law and Criminology from Leeds Beckett University. Alexandria and Sarah are currently evaluating Greater Manchester’s Problem Solving Court for Women, a community justice initiative Lilly also knows well from her work supporting women in the Manchester area.

Episode 5: What can we learn from diversion schemes for women?

In this episode we explore diversion schemes for women, and what role they play in preventing women from being unnecessarily drawn further into the criminal justice system. Edwina speaks to Pamela Price South London Women's Hubs Manager, and Miranda Dobson Head of Communications from Women in Prison (WIP) to learn more about the diversion scheme they run in South London, linked to their women’s centres.