Introduction

The Corston Report (Corston, 2007) made several recommendations to improve services for female offenders, a key proposal being the funding of the development of a large network of holistic, community-based ‘one stop shops’ for women in accordance with a centrally coordinated national strategic plan. Baroness Corston envisaged that women's centres should be used for women who offend or, crucially, are ‘at risk of offending’, as a diversion from police stations and court, as part of a package of intervention via community sentences, and to provide a ‘real alternative to prison’ (Corston, 2007: 10).

This chapter describes the concept of women's centres as encouraged by Baroness Corston in 2007, and considers why they were viewed to be such an important step in supporting female offenders and reducing risk of offending in England and Wales. It goes on to explore their progress (or lack thereof) over the intervening years and considers the implications for their future in light of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda.

The Corston Report

Momentum for providing interventions specifically designed to address female offending gathered pace through the early part of the new millennium and gained considerable attention in 2007 with the publication of three influential reports: The Corston Report (Corston, 2007); the Women offenders accommodation pathfinders report for Wales (National Probation Directorate, 2007); and a Fawcett Society commissioned report (Gelsthorpe et al, 2007). These brought together research findings on female offending related needs, what works with women, and the different models of good practice being utilised at the time (NOMS, 2007). The reports recommended women-only provision and a holistic approach, whereby women are treated as individuals with their own set of personal support needs and are empowered to take responsibility and desist from offending.

Among other commendable recommendations (many discussed elsewhere in this book), Baroness Corston proposed the funding of the development of a large network of holistic, community-based ‘one stop shops’ for women in accordance with a national strategic plan to be coordinated centrally. Her recommendation was inspired by visiting three ‘one stop shops’: Calderdale Women's Centre in Halifax, the Asha Centre in Worcester and the 218 Centre in Glasgow which, in different ways, all managed to provide this holistic approach to supporting women.