We're experts on women in the criminal justice system, and the recruitment and employment of people with convictions. Media enquiries to media@workingchance.org or 07860 940455

Cutting the lifeline: What does it mean for women with convictions on Universal Credit?

Today, Universal Credit – the benefits system supporting millions of families in the UK – is being cut by £20 per week, the biggest overnight cut to social security since World War Two. Changemakers are calling on the government to #KeepTheLifeline.

Fighting for a better benefits system

Many women with convictions rely on Universal Credit to survive. Changemakers are advocating for a system that works for them. Here are some main issues that need urgent attention.

Changing the game

The voices of women with experience of the criminal justice system are too often ignored or overlooked. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Changemakers, a policy and campaign group of women with convictions fighting to change the system.

Worst-Case Scenario: Left behind on the career ladder

Worst-Case Scenario: Fighting battles on multiple fronts

Racially minoritised women with convictions are fighting battles on multiple fronts whilst looking for work - whether that's social stigma, custody battles, or mental health issues.

Worst-Case Scenario: Over-policed and harshly punished

A criminal record is a massive barrier to employment. This is the first in our #WorstCaseScenario blog series on how these challenges are much tougher for racially minoritised women, who face multiple and intersecting discrimination.

Five years after HMP Holloway closed, what happened to Western Europe’s largest women’s prison?

Five years after the last women left its gates, the former Holloway prison site stands empty and deserted, a reminder both of the long struggle for women’s rights and liberation, and the thousands of women who lived there deprived of their freedom.

Joint Statement: The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill Will Have Harmful Long-term Consequences for Women

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will not make women safer. Read our joint statement about why we strongly oppose the Bill in its current form.