Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding has been allocated by his Department to services providing rehabilitation and support services for women offenders in Essex in each of the last three financial years.

As funding is allocated regionally, it is not possible to disaggregate by county the costs relating to women offenders. However, we do contact a specialist provider to work with women in South Essex and Thurrock to support with rehabilitation.

Our Rehabilitation evidence synthesis, published in 2025, identifies the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions specifically for women as an area where further research is required. There are no evaluations specific to Essex. In addition to accredited programmes for offenders, such as Building Choices – which has not yet been in place for long enough to allow outcomes to be evaluated – it is important to recognise that rehabilitation outcomes are influenced by a wider range of factors, including stable housing, employment opportunities, family and social support, and the addressing of broader criminogenic and wellbeing needs. HM Prison & Probation Service is committed to taking forward a broad range of measures to give offenders the best chance of successful rehabilitation.