England and Wales: Community prisons for women scrapped under new female offender strategy

Justice Secretary David Gauke said the new approach will see the UK government divert the most vulnerable women in the criminal justice system away from custody by providing tailored support.

The government said its new strategy was informed by evidence that women offenders are disproportionately affected by mental health issues, substance misuse and domestic abuse.

Instead of new prisons, the MOJ will now invest in a “residential women’s centre” pilot in at least five sites across England and Wales.

Lord Farmer will also be commissioned to conduct a review into the importance of family ties in improving outcomes for female offenders, which will consider measures that can strengthen women’s ties with their family, especially their children, while serving sentences.

Mr Gauke said: “Many of the women serving custodial sentences are extremely vulnerable and have experienced abuse themselves. Evidence clearly shows that putting women into prison can do more harm than good for society, failing to cut the cycle of reoffending and often exacerbating already difficult family circumstances.

“While public protection will always be our priority, and prison must remain the only option in the most serious cases, I want that to be a last resort. That’s why today we are announcing a step change in our approach to rehabilitating women offenders – we will shift from prisons to women’s centres which focus on the full range of support services beginning with five pilots across England and Wales.

“I want this strategy to be the start of a shift in attitudes to the way we support female offenders with greater emphasis on community provision. This ultimately benefits everyone - offenders, their families and the wider community as we see fewer victims and cut the cost of reoffending.”