Written question asked by David Howarth (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 25 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 March 2010. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Crime Prevention: Females

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will continue funding after March 2011 for the one-stop shop women's community projects to prevent and reduce offending by women funded from the £15.6 million announced in February 2009.

Answer: Work is now well under way to sustain this approach. Directors of Offender Management (DOMs) are currently working to support the Women's Community Projects (WCPs) in their future sustainability efforts and to demonstrate their effectiveness at providing effective interventions for women offenders and women at risk of offending. DOMs, in conjunction with probation trust/boards, will have a lead role in ensuring appropriate commissioning and joint commissioning of services for women offenders to draw in the services of a range of local agencies. Every one of the DOMs new commissioning plans includes a focus on women and they now manage all of the contracts for the WCPs. New performance monitoring arrangements in place will also ensure that we continue to meet the specific needs of women in the criminal justice system.

Secondary information