Not Beyond Redemption

Who we are

Not Beyond Redemption provides free Family Law advice and representation to mothers in prison to help re-establish and maintain contact with their children, which is so often lost when they are sentenced. The charity was established by leading Family Lawyer, Camilla Baldwin, to ensure that family law advice and representation was available not just to those who could afford it, but also to those who needed it most.

Women in prison are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Over half the women in prison report having suffered domestic violence with 53% of women reporting having experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse as a child.

One in three female prisoners are mothers of children under 18, and one in five are lone parents who face their children being taken away from them following their imprisonment. The Prison Reform Trust estimates that each year over 17,000 children are separated from their mothers due to incarceration. 

Women in prison are frequently unaware of their rights and since 2013, Legal Aid is unavailable for most family law cases, meaning many mothers in prison lose access to their children and have nowhere to turn. Maintaining a healthy and supportive relationship with family while in prison is crucial to reduce reoffending rates and improving rehabilitation. According to the Ministry of Justice figures, the female reoffending rate is 23% but prisoners who receive family visits are 39% less likely to re-offend than those who do not. A parent who has a stake in their child’s life can endeavour to serve as a positive role model and is motivated to turn their life around. 

Not Beyond Redemption was established in 2020, so while we may be a small team, we have large ambitions. Our goal is to run a legal clinic at every female prison in England by 2025, and we are well on our way to doing this. We currently run legal clinics at five female prisons, and we are in the process of expanding into the prisons in the North of England. Our reach is wide, and we take on referrals from other organisations inside prisons where we do not run clinics yet, and we have supported women from all twelve female prisons.

We work with law firms that provide us with lawyers who attend the legal clinics and take on the cases on a pro bono basis. We work with Sidley Austin, Morrison & Foerster, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Clyde & Co. We also have a list of over 90 barristers from top chambers across the country who are willing to represent our women in Court.