Admin/bio:

Women in Prison (WIP), is an organisation which is built on the lived experience of Chris Tchaikovsky, who was moved to take action by what she had experienced and seen while imprisoned in Holloway in the 1970s. Chris had seen the specific need of women in prison and the damaging effect prison sentences were having on women first hand and noticed that they were completely missing in public and political discussions. So, in 1983, alongside international criminologist Pat Carlen, Chris founded WIP in order to expose the scandal and campaign for change. Despite the organisation having no official backing, being run on short-term voluntary staff, and being extremely under-funded in the early years, its founders managed to get the group established and begin a series of campaigns to help women within the prison system.

In the early years WIP focused on several campaigns, including increasing public awareness of harsh regimes in female prisons, the struggle of women held in close confinement or under strict regimes (e.g. Durham Prison H Wing), and the difficulties women have after being released from prison. The organisations campaigning methods in the early period included demonstrating outside Holloway, producing a book called, ‘Criminal Women’, media interviews, political lobbying, public lectures and providing information and services for women after their release.

From the outset WIP was aware of the disproportionate numbers of female prisoners from ethnic minority groups. Therefore, WIP realised the importance of liaising with organisations catering for black and foreign women in prison. Around the same time two other organisations were formed: HIBISCUS, founded by Olga Heaven for foreign national women prisoners; and WISH, for Women in Special Hospitals, founded by Prue Stevenson, both of which WIP worked closely with.

From the early 1990s, WIP expanded beyond campaigning to begin to deliver direct to support by women affected by the criminal justice system. This included providing support for women while they were in prison but also providing support for women in the community after release.

Chris Tchaikovsky died in 2002, but her legacy still lives on as the organisation continues to fight for justice for women in trouble with the law. The organisation today focuses on refusing to accept the inequalities that lead women and girls into contact with the criminal justice system, as well as continuing to campaign for the rights of female prisoners and provide advice, guidance and services for them. WIP’s vision is of a society which no longer accepts the structural inequalities that lead women and girls into contact with the criminal justice system.

Scope and Content:

Papers and visual material relating to the campaign group Women in Prison (WIP), their work, services, and campaigns that they were involved in. Material includes: founding documents/administrative documents; Annual Reports; correspondence; works relating to WIP and Chris Tchaikovsky; magazines; mother and babies in custody; mental health campaign; BAME campaign; HMP Holloway; Durham H Wing Campaign; death in custody; campaign work, 1980's & 1990's; other work; joint work with other organisations; external research; campaign and service work 1999 onwards; forums and networks; The Corston Report; and visual material and ephemera (1977-2023) N.B. The dates of the material within this archive pre-date the foundation of WIP because it contains research literature published before 1983.

Extent:

24 boxes