ABSTRACT
This chapter reports what women say about programmes offered to them in prison, their preparation for release and some of the challenges the women anticipate following release. It discusses the extent to which we were able to locate the women following their release, their support and service needs in the community, and services they were able to use in the community. The Women Exiting Prison project interviewed women at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post-release. Emotional and practical support from family, friends and community services was identified as significant for the women who said they were managing at each stage of follow-up:Heaps of support from girlfriend, family and children. Parole provided women with a secure base from which to connect with the wider community, and experience a more positive reintegration. However, not all women had such formal support or informal support.
