FAQ’s
“What about men in prison/male prisoners surely, they deserved to be talked about as well. Why aren’t you addressing this issue?”
We are a charity set up specially to work with women so that would be outside of our charity’s remit. There are lots of brilliant charities that work with men and are better placed to do that work than we are.
“These women have committed a crime and go against the law of the land, they get all they deserve. Why would you even consider supporting this as a cause?”
We agree that all crimes carry consequences, without those consequences we would have anarchy. However, that does not mean that we treat people badly or don’t help them to stop committing another crime. We believe that fundamentally every life matters, no matter what they do or who they are and we are working to help women stay away from crime in the future.
“I don’t believe the stats around domestic abuse - is it actually as high as you are saying, and why is it relevant?”
Actually, most people working in the Criminal Justice System believe that the figures around domestic abuse are lower than the actual cases. Many women do not report abuse but will have been through it and for some this will have had a significant impact on how they came to be in prison.
“What makes you experts on women who are in the Criminal Justice System?”
ID Prison Ministry has worked in prisons for over 5 years. Many of our staff have worked in women’s prisons for over 10 years. We have seen first hand the damage that a prison sentence does to both the women we work with and their families. Unless we realise that these women matter and work hard on rehabilitation and providing ways for women to turn their lives around, our crime rates will never go down.
“I've had a tough life too but I didn't commit a crime - why does she matter so much!?”
Life can be hard sometimes. But you matter and so does she. Every life matters.
“There is more need abroad e.g. global poverty and starvation, why should I bother with these women?”
There are some great charities that work abroad but we see the need right here every time we go into prison. We want to reduce the re-offending rate in this country and that will benefit everyone – both the victims of crime and the women who end up in prison and also society as a whole.
"My house was broken into and it really scared me. Why should I care about them?"
Crime is a horrible thing. It can really affect you. By working with women in prison towards rehabilitation, we really believe that everyone will benefit. You matter and so does she.