NCJ Number
116720
Date Published
1988
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper is concerned with due process implications of female remands in custody at an English prison.
Abstract
Specific research objectives examine how the remand of women to custody reduced women's access to due process and determine how custody remand restricted women's ability to help themselves. It was found that women needed advice on how to obtain legal assistance and how to pay for it. Some women were satisfied with their legal representation, but more were not. Organizational factors contributed to dissatisfaction with representation, including the effect of separation from home. The constant movement of inmates at the prison negatively impacted internal prison organization, resulting in protracted delays while individual women were located. Personal communication was restricted by a ban on direct telephone use, and the lack of access to lawyers and limited personal communication combined to obstruct female access to due process. Women exhibited marked confusion about bail; the problem of arranging bail was compounded by misinformation and misunderstanding. Most women had dependent children, and it appeared that some felt they had been remanded to custody because of their domestic circumstances and not because of any public danger posed. Most women had been convicted, and most remanded to custody for reports eventually received noncustodial sentences. Remand prisoners overall had a different status than sentenced prisoners, but this status was not well-understood. 4 references.