The barriers women face through their contact with the CJS…

There is often a lack of understanding that a woman’s criminality is generally the consequence of the underlying trauma she has been subjected to. Many women have been in the care system, have been subjected to childhood trauma and are without follow on support once they turn 18. After experiencing trauma and systemic failure from a young age, women are at risk of being exploited and coerced into further layers of abuse. There is a chain reaction of being failed by the system. Kairos Women Working Together recognises this and actively tries to prevent these cycles of harm from being perpetuated by supporting young women aged 16 and above through our Feeing Safe service. This service aims to bridge the systemic gap that often results in young women ‘falling through the net’.

The link between trauma, poor mental health and female offending
There is a direct link between trauma and drug and alcohol use among women, with many relying on such coping mechanisms because they have never received appropriate support. Women report how easily they can access drugs in prison and this makes their time in custody more challenging, as they want to focus on their recovery, yet drugs are so readily available.

The HM Chief Inspector of Prisons annual report 2024-25 stated;
“The overwhelming ingress of illegal drugs is destabilising prisons and preventing rehabilitation”

There is a concerning lack of mental health support within the prisons and upon women’s release. Many women are sentenced for minor, non-violent offences or for not complying with a community order, often the result of women struggling with mental health challenges and addiction in the community. As a result, women are at increased risk of being recalled to prison, which contributes to the ‘revolving door’ of criminal justice involvement.

The lack of mental health support in prison is overwhelmingly apparent. Women are in custody for a short-term sentences, which only serve to temporarily remove them from the community, with no rehabilitation achieved. Many are already struggling with their mental health, meaning levels of self-harm and attempted suicide increase due to being in a high pressure environment within the prison. When women are placed on the ‘ACCT book’ to monitor their behaviour to prevent self-harm/suicide, there is minimal non-therapeutic support given, often simply officers watching them.

The thematic review by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in 2025, on ‘What helps women to cope in prison’ stated;
“Women we spoke to said they felt it was often used as a tool to ‘watch’ them while they were in a cell rather than to keep them safe.”

When women do serve longer sentences, we notice a sense of them becoming institutionalised. When there is structure, routine and adequate education/training/working etc, women begin to thrive. The harsh reality of our system is that women are typically offered minimal support on release and inappropriately housed in shared temporary accommodation (TA). Women may be placed in a CAS3 property, often self-contained, where they  can only settle temporarily before being forced to uproot again after 84 days. Women are also at risk of being placed into TA that does not meet their needs, consequently unravelling women’s progress, and so the ‘revolving door’ continues. These women are ultimately facing a system that was not designed for them, nor meets their needs.

Kairos’ wider advocacy
We understand that women at risk of or subject to sexual exploitation face significant injustice in their lives. They are often ignored, silenced, pushed to the margins, or discriminated against. As passionate advocates for women, we ensure their voices are amplified and rights are upheld. We seek to positively challenge and influence policy and systems to improve outcomes for all women.

Kairos’ Women’s Justice (WJ) service supports women involved in the CJS, including those facing criminal charges, serving a community or custodial sentence, and those released from prison. As Specialist Justice Practitioner, my focus is to support women in prison, primarily through face to face visiting. Many women refer themselves to Kairos while in custody as they have no other form of support outside of prison.

I continue contact with women via telephone/emails, enabling them to feel more in control of their support and release day planning as I can co-ordinate with outside agencies, providing regular updates. This gives women a continuous line of communication, along with receiving emotional and practical interventions (such as essential clothing and wellbeing items) whilst in custody. Without this, the women have said they often feel ostracized from the community and their much-needed support systems.

We provide support to women on their release from prison too, which can be a stressful and emotive day due to the multiple appointments women have to attend. These appointments, which may include housing assessments often require women to repeatedly explain the trauma they have been subjected to.

Our WJ Support and Advocacy Practitioner then provides continuous, holistic and intensive support within the community for the women after release, whilst also supporting access to other services such as medical appointments, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and social services, along with emotional support to build confidence and self-esteem.

Through our WJ service, we also focus on partnership building, particularly with probation and prison staff, by frequently attending joint professionals meetings where we strongly advocate for the women to get their needs met in a trauma informed way.

Specialist women’s organisations such as Kairos, offer a safe space for women to access holistic support. Here, women build trusting relationships and begin to address the root causes of her criminality, at her own pace.

Women tell us our support makes all the difference for them addressing their substance use, being able to exit prostitution, or being able to keep their children in their care. A service user stated; “Without all your guidance and support at Kairos, the world would feel like a lonely place”.

We journey alongside them as they increase their stability and self-reliance, empowering women to change their own lives, because every woman matters.

Written by Elissa Sheehan, Specialist Justice Practitioner

About Kairos Women Working Together
Kairos is a charity run by women, for women. Kairos believes in a world where every woman matters, and all women live free from exploitation, violence and abuse. We provide holistic, trauma-informed support and advocacy to women who face multiple disadvantage and are at risk of or subject to sexual exploitation. We provide a range of holistic services including the Women’s Justice service for women in contact with the Criminal Justice System (CJS). We empower women to increase their safety, stability, self-belief, and self-reliance and build fulfilled lives, free from violence, abuse, and exploitation.