Submitted by: Sevenoaks Branch & SEI Special Committee 

The National Council of Women in Conference assembled: (a) concerned that the increased number of women in prison has resulted in pressure on facilities and overcrowded and degrading conditions; (b) disturbed by the recent construction in Eastwood Park Prison of 80 cells measuring approximately 5 square metres in which women prisoners are housed; (c) urges that the Prison Service’s own Minimum Standards for conditions and facilities in prison be made mandatory; (d) calls on the Home Secretary to ensure that the treatment of women in prison conforms with Britain’s international commitments under European Prison Rules and the United Nations Standard Rules for the treatment of offenders.