Who we are
The charity was set up by Camilla Baldwin, one of the UK’s leading family lawyers, a business leader and a recognised voice on the predicament of imprisoned parents of children and the impact prolonged internment has on child development, their emotional vulnerability, mental health, education and social behaviours.
Along with the lawyers we also have a team of advisors and ex prisoners that give invaluable help and insight by sharing their experiences to help others.
What we do
Not Beyond Redemption is a charity providing free family legal advice and representation to women who are in prison, or who have left prison. We are a team of specialist family lawyers and volunteers who focus on helping to re-establish critical access and relationships between mothers and their children.
Our scope of work is varied and ranges from helping women understand a way through the myriad of legal matters, including understanding their rights, to writing legal letters and representing them in courts across the country – all on a pro bono basis. Support is extended to the families of the women and can continue after the mothers have been released from prison.
Incarceration, access and their systemic impacts on individuals and their families are age-old challenges for society; but we are becoming better informed all the time and can use this knowledge to raise awareness and promote long-term change. Not Beyond Redemption is committed to reconnecting these women with their children in order to help them all pave the way for a better future. We look beyond the crime and the sentence, to the person and their children.
We are thrilled to have won ‘The Community Interaction’ at the Family Law Awards in 2022.
Why we do it
It is a fact that most women in prison are unaware of their rights, and since 2013, Legal Aid has been unavailable for most family cases, which means these women simply do not have access to justice.
It is also a fact that punishment can very often far outweigh the crime, with many mothers being inappropriately imprisoned for petty crimes. This has a devastating impact on their children and society. Every year, thousands of children are placed in foster care and children’s homes or are put up for adoption because their mothers are in prison for non-violent crimes.
Imprisoning women better suited to community service or rehabilitation programmes has a hugely damaging impact on family life, in many cases leading to repeated criminality, homelessness and poverty.
How we do it
Ultimately it is our aim to safeguard the relationship between mothers in prison and their children.
This needs a diverse approach that covers not only professional advice on family legal matters, but behind the scenes work liaising with multiple parties, providing avenues of communication, and working with specialists in the fields of emotional and psychological support. We walk by their side through the legal process and beyond, and to this end, we support women by:
- Representing them in court
- Corresponding with members of their families, including the fathers
- Liaising with social workers
- Working with barristers
Not Beyond Redemption currently runs legal clinics at HMPs Send, Downview, East Sutton Park, Peterborough, Eastwood Park, Bronzefield and Styal. Our goal is to make this initiative available in all twelve women’s prisons throughout the UK.
Impact Report 2023
Our Impact Report gives an insight into-
- What we do
- Why we care
- The impacts of maternal imprisonment
- Our impact
Click here to read our Impact Report.
We work collaboratively with other charities, including St Giles Trust, the Prisoner’s Advice Service (PAS) and the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) to support the women.
