The prison watchdog has said “significant challenges” have been created by the increase in the number of women incarcerated in Guernsey’s mixed prison population.
The Independent Monitoring Panel noted in its report of prison activity for 2024 that “female prisoners have overheard male prisoners shouting abuse from their wing”.
“This has understandably caused distress and highlights the complexities of ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all prisoners,” the report states.
The number of people held within Guernsey’s prison increased in 2024 due to a freeze on transfers to the UK because of overcrowding in the British prison system.
The Panel said these factors, and “an increase in sex offenders, women, and the continued accommodation of children within the environment”, is creating complex problems.
“The Prison’s [senior management] has had to carefully manage this increasing population. Issues within the population has presented challenges on the wings which has taken time to resolve.”
The Prison Service’s own annual report accepted that “there are limitations to men, women and children sharing facilities within a custodial environment.
“These issues can be further complicated by the nature of the crime index and victim issues that can and do occur in an island prison environment.”
There are currently six adult women at Guernsey Prison. This number has been marginally lower in previous years and also included young offenders under the age of 21, and children.
The majority of the prison population are serving time for sexual or drug-related offences.
The Panel cited UK research which suggests prison is an inappropriate and ineffective punishment for women who generally commit lower level crimes “often linked to poverty, addiction, or trauma”.
“The need for tailored strategies to address these challenges has become more apparent, the IMP report states. “Managing the dynamics of a mixed prison population is a complex process, requiring careful consideration to ensure that the safety, dignity and rehabilitation of all prisoners remains a priority.”
But the Panel said Guernsey “has risen to the challenges faced by this population and adjustments were made throughout the year to ensure that the female population had access to varied educational and work opportunities and that their specific needs were being met”.
It called on the Committee for Home Affairs to expand sentencing options, including electronic tagging, which would be better than imprisonment “particularly for women and young people, who may be disproportionately affected by a prison sentence”.