Towards a Hopeful Justice: Transforming Justice for Women with Convictions

Women with convictions (WwC) account for 14 per cent of deaths during post-release supervision, 35 per cent of which are self-inflicted despite making up less than five per cent of the prison population in England and Wales. This highlights the extent of WwC’s marginalisation, the complexity of their needs, and the urgency with which their (re)integration and (re)engagement within communities must be addressed. It ls also known that WwC’s stories and experiences of discrimination and marginalisation are often intersectional, shaped by race, gender and social class in particular. This paper draws upon emerging findings from an ongoing study, being undertaken in Stoke-on-Trent which is underpinned by a Transformative Justice approach, and which is delivered via arts-based workshops. The project aims to build a network of community support for women with lived experience of the criminal justice system. The paper will outline some of our key ideas and findings to date and consider implications for wider community building, support, action, and engagement.