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 contains a piece in the Response column from a two people who helped set up day centres for offenders as an alternative to prison sentences. Talking about how the programme works in the US, they say:
They are not a “soft option”. Attendance is mandatory and backed up with sanctions; there is routine drug testing; and some of those attending are electronically monitored and subject to curfews. They have reduced demand on prisons by more than seven million cell-nights per annum, saving US taxpayers a third of a …

Read about progress on implementing the Corston recommendations and the launch of the Corston Independent Funders Coalition in today’s Guardian.
“Seeking to press for full implementation of the Corston recommendations, 19 independent foundations, including the Diana Memorial Fund and the Bromley Trust, have joined forces – in an effort that they claim is unprecedented – to hire a full-time advocate to press for Corston’s agenda.
Antonia Bance, a former Oxfam campaigner who started in the advocate’s post this month, says the new funds demonstrate real commitment. However, she warns: “A …