Still No Way Out report published
Too many foreign national and trafficked women face inappropriate imprisonment
Vulnerable foreign national women in the criminal justice system, including trafficking victims, are facing inappropriate imprisonment and the threat of deportation at the expense of rehabilitation or support, according to a new report published today by the Prison Reform Trust and Hibiscus Initiatives.
The report, Still no way out, found that foreign national women, many of whom are accused or convicted of non-violent offences and who have in many cases been trafficked or coerced into offending, are receiving inadequate legal representation, poor interpreting services and disproportionate punishment.
Its findings suggest that measures put in place to protect victims of trafficking and modern slavery are too often failing to prevent prosecution for offences committed as a consequence of exploitation by traffickers.
The report draws upon data from a number of sources, including evidence gathered by Hibiscus from its work with foreign national women in prison, published statistics, freedom of information requests, parliamentary questions, inspectorate reports and research studies.
