A women’s charity in Bethnal Green has launched a consultation to identify the gaps in services for women in the criminal justice system.

East London Advertiser: Wish supports women with mental health needs in prisons, hospitals and community organisations. Picture: WishWish supports women with mental health needs in prisons, hospitals and community organisations. Picture: Wish (Image: Archant)

Wish, based in Old Ford Road, was set up in 1987 to support women with mental health needs in hospitals, prisons and community organisations.

The charity has just launched the Women’s Mental Health Network, a group of organisations which are working to improve statutory services in hospitals, prisons and social services.

The network is now in the consultation stage, and is looking for 5000 women with experience of the mental health and the criminal justice system to report on their experiences.

The charity wants to know which areas should be improved, and once the consultation ends in autumn, will begin campaigning to improve the areas highlighted.

A report released by the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee in July said that sufficient changes to how women are treated in the justice system had not been made since its last investigaton in 2007.

Campaigners at Wish hope the new network will address some of the issues raised in the report. The consultation questionnaire can be found at womensmentalhealthnetwork.com/consultation.