Women are dying in prison

In England and Wales between March 2007 and May 2019 there were 106 deaths in women's prisons (INQUEST, 2019). Still Dying on the Inside (INQUEST, 2018) offers unique insights based on an analysis of official data, casework and an examination of coroners' reports and jury findings. Women bear the brunt of social, health and economic inequalities; the majority of women sentenced to prison are there for non-violent offences, with 40% imprisoned for theft. Women's experience of trauma impacts on how they make their response to being imprisoned, which then forms part of a vicious cycle of victimisation and law-breaking (INQUEST, 2018). Many women will have experienced domestic violence, abuse and trauma. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (2017) has described how women coming into prison are increasingly vulnerable—65% of women, compared with 42% of men, reported mental ill-health. There are growing numbers of women arriving at prison feeling depressed or suicidal.