NWJC joins calls to abolish plans to name and shame people on community sentences

Our joint letter to the Deputy Prime Minister, collated by Friend of the NWJC Pact reads:

“Robust and well-managed unpaid work schemes fulfil an important function, allowing people who have committed a crime to pay back to their community. However, we are deeply concerned by the measure set out in clause 35 of the [Sentencing] Bill that proposes public disclosure of names and photographs of people delivering unpaid work as part of their community sentence.”

As a coalition of women’s organisations that support women and girls in contact with the criminal justice sentence, many of whom are serving community sentences, we are also particularly concerned by the specific risks Clause 35 will pose to women.

Nearly 70% of women in prison and under probation supervision in the community are known to be victims of domestic abuse – with the true figure likely to be higher due to barriers women face when disclosing abuse. So any proposal to take and publish photographs of people completing community work orders would put women at serious risk of being identified, exposed and located by their abusers.

Furthermore;
“We do not believe that ‘naming and shaming’ people in this way will support rehabilitation or efforts to reduce reoffending. In an age where content remains online indefinitely, it will cast a long shadow, making it harder for people to get a job or find somewhere to live. Moreover, it will greatly exacerbate the stigmatisation of tens of thousands of family members every year who themselves suffer a hidden sentence when a loved-one is punished for a crime.”

Collectively, we are calling for the complete withdrawal of clause 35 from the Sentencing Bill.

#ScrapClause35
#CriminalJustice